The past month has seen Tusculum College student-athletes garner All-American honors for their performance in competition and in the classroom.
Three Tusculum student-athletes were named to the 2015-16 NCAA Division II Academic All-America® Men’s At-Large Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Senior golfer Brad Hawkins was tabbed to the Academic All-America® first team, while senior golfer Nick Forsberg and senior tennis standout Jonas Winkelmann garnered third team recognition.
Tusculum College student-athletes Calley Lawson and Franziska Funke have been named to the 2015-16 NCAA Division II Academic All-America® Women’s At-Large second team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Four members of the golf team – Calley Lawson, Ciara Rattana, Katie Tomassoni and Taylor White – were named to the 2015-16 Women’s Golf Coaches Association Division II All-American Scholar Team.
In addition to his academic recognition, Brad Hawkins was recognized for his performance on the links with inclusion on the 2016 NCAA Division II PING All-America Men’s Golf Team as chosen by the Golf Coaches Association of the America.
Academic All-America Men’s At Large Team
Senior golfer Brad Hawkins was tabbed to the 2015-16 NCAA Division II Academic All-America® first team, while senior golfer Nick Forsberg and senior tennis standout Jonas Winkelmann garnered third team recognition.
The CoSIDA Academic All-America® at-large program includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo for both men and women; bowling, crew and field hockey for women; and volleyball and wrestling for men.
Brad Hawkins
Hawkins, a senior from Knoxville, Tennessee, earns his first CoSIDA Academic All-America® honor and becomes the second first team selection in program history. He has a 3.61 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in sport management. He been named to the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.
Hawkins was named the 2016 South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Player of the Year, becoming the fourth Pioneer in program history to earn the SAC’s top golf honor. His 70.71 stroke average this year breaks the previous College best of 72.08 by Chase Carroll during the 2008-09 season. It also tops the SAC single-season record average. He finished in the top-five in nine of his 12 events this year, including medalist honors at the State Farm Intercollegiate, Pioneer Classic and Hargett Memorial Intercollegiate. Hawkins posted a school single-season record 16 sub-par rounds, with nine of those in the 60s, including an 18-hole Tusculum and SAC record 63 at the Pioneer Classic last fall. During the Pioneer Classic, he carded the lowest 36-hole score in school and SAC history with an eight-under par 132. He also established the 54-hole TC and SAC record with a remarkable 16-under par 200 at the State Farm Intercollegiate.
Jonas Winkelmann
Winkelmann, a native of Böblingen, Germany, garnered Academic All-America® third team honors for a second straight year. He is one of 11 male student-athletes on this year’s Academic All-America® Atl-Large team to repeat. He graduated from Tusculum in May with a 3.68 cumulative grade point average in business administration. He is also a member of the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Tusculum Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. He was also was named the 2016 SAC Men’s Tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year.
During the 2016 season, Winkelmann posted a 13-9 singles record, including an 8-3 mark in SAC play. His doubles tandem went 20-2 overall and 10-1 in league action. He has earned All-SAC honors in each of his four seasons as a Pioneer and was named the SAC Player of Week three times in his career. A three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete, he was a key player for a team that went 37-5 in the SAC during his time on the squad and earned three conference championships. He finished his career with a 60-22 record in singles play and a 74-11 record in doubles action.
Nick Forsberg
Forsberg, a native of Staples, Minnesota, garners Academic All-America® recognition for a first time. He graduated from Tusculum in May with a 3.75 GPA and majored in sport management. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. He has been named the SAC Men’s Golf Scholar Athlete of the Year in each of the last two seasons.
Forsberg closed out his senior season with a 72.93 scoring average, which ranks fifth-best in program history while earning All-SAC first team accolades. He turned in eight sub-par rounds during his senior campaign and won a share of medalist honors at the Etowah Spring Challenge. His play helped the Pioneers to five tournament titles and ended his career with a 74.40 stroke average to rank third in Tusculum history. He garnered All-SAC laurels twice and was a two-time SAC All-Tournament honoree.
Academic All-America Women’s At-Large Team
Tusculum College student-athletes Calley Lawson and Franziska Funke have been named to the 2015-16 NCAA Division II Academic All-America® Women’s At-Large second team.
Calley Lawson
Lawson, a senior from Gaithersburg, Maryland, earns Academic All-America® honors for a second straight season, moving up to the second team after garnering third team accolades in last year. She and former TC standout Jillian Corum are the only multiple Academic All-Americans® in program history.
Lawson has a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in elementary education and early childhood special education. She finished her final collegiate campaign with an 84.18 scoring average which included two top-20 finishes. Lawson is a three-time WGCA All-America Scholar and a three-time recipient of the Tusculum Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award. In 2015, she earned the prestigious Bob Dibble Spirit of the Game Award, which is presented by the South Atlantic Conference women’s golf coaches and named in honor of Tusculum’s veteran skipper. Her 86.18 career scoring average is the 15th-lowest in school history, while her 76.5 rounds played are the eighth most by a Pioneer. She is a member of the Tusculum Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List, President’s List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Alpha Chi Honors Society.
Franziska Funke
Funke, a sophomore from Bochum, Germany, becomes only the second player in program history to earn Academic All-America® distinction, joining Pam Holt who was a first team selection in 2002. Funke has a perfect 4.00 GPA and is majoring in psychology. She was this year’s co-recipient of the Tusculum Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award, following up last year’s Tusculum reshman of the Year Academic Award accolade. She is a member of the Tusculum Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List, President’s List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.
Funke was named to the All-South Atlantic Conference first team in singles after finishing with a 22-1 record, including a 17-1 mark at the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Her only loss came in three sets in a match against Division I Western Carolina, and she compiled a perfect 10-0 mark in conference matches. Funke also had a 17-7 record in doubles play this season. In two years for the Pioneers, the two-time All-SAC selection has a 36-2 record in singles, including 21-1 in conference matches, and is 35-8 in doubles play. She was also selected to the 2015 ITA All-Academic Team.
Women’s Golf Coaches Association Honors
Tusculum College student-athletes Calley Lawson, Ciara Rattana, Katie Tomassoni and Taylor White have been named to the 2015-2016 Women’s Golf Coaches Association Division II All-American Scholar Team.
Criteria for the WGCA All-America Scholar Team include: having a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 and have participated in 50 percent of the team’s competitive rounds.
Ciara Rattana
The Pioneers boast an impressive 3.49 team grade point average, which was the sixth highest of Tusculum’s 16 intercollegiate sports this year and one of the best amongst the 12 South Atlantic Conference women’s golf programs.
Lawson, a senior from Gaithersburg, Maryland, returns to the WGCA All-America Scholar Team for a fourth consecutive year.
Rattana, a sophomore from Chicago, Illinois, is making her second appearance on the WGCA All-America Scholar Team. She has a 3.57 cumulative GPA and is majoring in business. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. The two-time All-SAC first team selection led the Pioneers in scoring once again with her 78.54 stroke average which is the fifth lowest average in school history and the second-best by a TC sophomore.
Rattana recorded seven top-20 finishes in her nine events, including five times in the top-10 and twice in the top-five. The 2015 SAC Freshman of the Year finished runner-up at the Pioneer Classic, which included a
Katie Tomassoni
season-low round 73 on the final day of the tournament. She tied for third place at the Tusculum Fall Classic and posted a pair seventh place finishes at the Patsy Rendleman Invitational and this week’s Agnes McAmis Memorial. She also finished seventh at the 2016 SAC Championship and earned a spot on the SAC All-Tournament second team. In her two seasons at Tusculum, Rattana has a 78.53 career scoring average, which is currently the second-lowest in program history.
Tomassoni, a freshman from Mason, Ohio, accounted for a 3.87 GPA in her rookie season while majoring in sport management. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
She finished second on the team with her 80.22 stroke average which is 11th in program history and the third-best scoring average by a Tusculum freshman. She played in nine events where she posted four finishes in the top-10 and three times in the top-three. She finished third at the Tusculum Fall Classic, Rendleman Invitational and the
Taylor White
Pioneer Classic. She also carded nine rounds in the 70s including a season-best 73 in the opening round of the Pioneer Classic.
White, a freshman from Kingsport, Tennessee, has a 3.85 GPA while majoring in athletic training. She is a member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
White tallied an 83.92 scoring average in her six events where she logged two finishes in the top-20, including a 10th place showing at the Pioneer Classic. She also tied for 12th place at the Tusculum Fall Classic in her rookie campaign.
Ping All-America Golf Honors
Tusculum College’s Brad Hawkins has been named to the 2016 NCAA Division II PING All-America Men’s Golf Team as selected by the Golf Coaches Association of the America.
Hawkins was tabbed to the GCAA All-America second team, becoming only the four player in program history to garner All-America distinction. Todd Ricker earned NAIA All-America honors in 1996, while Allen Atchley was a two-time NAIA All-American in 1996 and 1997. Chase Carroll was the first player to earn NCAA II All-America accolades in 2009.
Hawkins, a senior from Knoxville, Tennessee, earns first All-America honor at Tusculum but his third of his collegiate career. He garnered PING All-America honors in each of his two seasons at Walters State College (2nd team in 2013 and 1st team in 2014).