Carbondale Reporter

Four members of the Southern Illinois Salukis men's golf team have been named Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar Athletes by the Golf Coaches Association of America. The honorees are Leon Heitz, Luke Lasley, Carsen Silliman, and Oliver Ulrich.

A total of 556 NCAA Division I athletes from 190 schools received the 2024-25 Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar recognition. The award highlights student-athletes who excel both on the golf course and in their academic pursuits.

Head Coach and Director of Golf Justin Fetcho commented on the achievement: "Over the last several years, our program has displayed that we have some amazing student-athletes both on the course and in the classroom," Fetcho said. "I am very appreciative of these young men for working hard on their golf games, but also on their studies."

Eligibility for this honor requires athletes to be sophomores, juniors, or seniors academically and athletically at NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA institutions or in their final year at NJCAA colleges. Nominees must participate in at least half of their team's competitive rounds, maintain a stroke average below a set threshold depending on division (such as under 76.0 for Division I), hold a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2, demonstrate high moral character, and remain in good standing with their school.

Fetcho acknowledged the challenges his players face due to travel demands during the season: "In our sport, we do a lot of traveling, which requires some missed class time; therefore, it is easy to get behind if you are not staying on top of everything," he said. "These guys not only took care of their business, but they did it very well."

The Southern Illinois men's golf team shares updates through its official social media channels.