The University of Akron Athletics
Local Player Rounds Out Men's Golf 2009 Class
May 29 | Men's Golf
AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron head
men's golf coach Nick Goetze announced Friday that East Sparta,
Ohio native Lucas Murray has signed a letter of intent to
finish his collegiate career with the Zips. A transfer from nearby
Mount Union College, Murray will be a junior at the start of the
2009 season.
"Lucas will be a crucial addition to our 09-10 line-up since he has already been successful at the college level," said Goetze. "Our young roster, which featured three freshmen for most of last year, will benefit greatly from Lucas' competitive experience as well as his maturity as a team leader. He is extremely motivated as a golfer and as a student and I believe that his gutsy, resilient manner will help push all of our players to achieve more."
A four-year letterwinner at local Canton South high school,
Murray was a two-time NCAA Division III Ping All-American at Mount
Union and averaged 72.7 on the links as a sophomore posting 11
top-five finishes in 13 events. Grabbing a 38th place finish at the
2009 NCAA Championships, Murray's best regular-season finish came at the
Malone Fall Classic where he tallied a 71-64 carding a 9-under
which was the Tannenhauf Golf Course record. A strong competitor
since he entered college, Murray completed 19.5
rounds with a 74.9 scoring average as a freshman boasting four
top-five finishes including a tie for seventh at the NCAA DIII
National Championship.
Murray will join fall signee and Acworth, Ga. native Cameron
Simmons. A two-time region winner in 2007 and 2008, Simmons
led his Harrison high school squad to three seasons of 33 or more
wins with each year leading to the regional championship, including
a fourth place finish at the state tournament as a freshman. In
tournament play, Simmons finished in the top-10 of five events. As
a junior, he finished T-10th at the Future Masters event, T-5 at
the Georgia Junior and T-10 at the state championship. On the
national level, Simmons has been ranked as high as #160 on the
National Junior Golf Scoreboard.
"Cameron has a very solid national record and he'll be a key
addition to our team in 2009," said Goetze at the time of his
signing. "He possesses good technique and an intelligent approach
to his game that will allow him to be a major contributor in our
line-up. In addition, the fact that he is an excellent student and
is supported by quality parents makes him a perfect fit for the
Akron family."
"I am very excited about the arrival of our 2009 recruiting class," said Goetze. "Lucas and Cameron are two talented additions that build on the recruiting momentum we established last season with the arrival of Tim Lew, Scott Landreth and Ryan Mason. All of these players established themselves as talented freshmen from day one and our 2010 additions will certainly give our team much more depth."
Players Mentioned
