The Emory University golf program enjoyed a fine 2006-07 season
that was full of highlights both from a team an individual
standpoint. Playing in the always competitive South Region,
which boasted six of the Top 10 teams in Division III, the Eagles
accomplished the following:
** A No. 10 national ranking in the final Golf World/Nike
Golf Division III Poll
** A championship effort at the University Athletic Association
Championship, its first conference crown since 2004 and the 11th in
the history of Emory golf. The Eagles outdistanced runner-up
New York University by 11 strokes and saw all five players earn
All-UAA recognition. In addition, Head Coach Mike Phillips
and his assistant, Mike DiLonardo, were recognized as the UAA's
Coaching Staff of the Year Award recipients.
** The program's fifth straight and 12th-ever bid to the NCAA
Championships where it posted a 14th-place finish.
** A team title at the Rhodes College Fall Classic in the season
opener, defeating Oglethorpe in a playoff.
** Emory's first-ever championship at the prestigious Gordin
Collegiate Classic with the Eagles' score of 581 representing the
second-best 36-hole mark in the history of the tournament.
Rod Olivero was the lone senior on the squad hand
is play lived up to the expectations of an experienced
veteran. In 25 rounds of competition over 11 tourneys,
Olivero averaged a team-best 74.9 strokes per outing, good for
fourth place on Emory's seasonal list. A PING All-South
Region honoree, he either led or shared the lead as the team's top
performer in a total of seven tournaments including back-to-back
medalist honor performances at the Oglethorpe Fall Invitational
(Oct. 30-31, 2006) and the Gordin Collegiate Classic (Oct. 15-16,
2006). At the Gordin Collegiate Classic, his 36-hole score of
138 (68-70) established a school record while his opening-round
mark tied for third on the Eagles' all-time list for low
round. His classy first-place score of 140 at the Oglethorpe
Invitational tied for third all-time at Emory for a 36-hole
tourney. He registered a total of six top 10 finishes during
the course of the year.
Sophomore Jeremy Evans blossomed into a consistent
player and enjoyed a solid spring season that saw him bring home
PING All-South Region accolades. Evans finished the year with
a 75.1 strokes average, good for sixth place on the school's
seasonal ladder. The second-year standout was a model of
consistency and recorded six top-five finishes. He ranked as the
Eagles' top shooter in four events including tying for first place
overall out of 78 entrants at the Emory Spring Invitational (Apr.
8-9, 2007). At the Greensboro Invitational (Oct. 2-3, 2006),
Evans posted a second-place finish out of 81 competitors with his
36-hole score of 140 tying for the third lowest mark in
school history.
A pair of freshmen, Raffi Simel and John
Ross both made the most of their playing opportunities and
emerged as key ingredients to the Eagles' success. Simel played in
seven of the team's 11 outings and averaged 77.5 strokes per round.
Simel returned to his hometown of Greensboro, NC, early in the year
to compete in the O'Briant Memorial and tied Olivero for the team's
top finish by firing a two-round score of 148, good for a 12th-
place deadlock in the 89-player field. His low round of the year
came on the first day of the UAA Championships when he finished
with a 71. Ross totaled 20 rounds over nine competitions and
concluded the season with a 77.8 stroke average. Ross
garnered All-UAA recognition after a ninth-place performance at the
conference championship. He was the team's No. 2 finisher and
tied for 16th overall in an 87-player field at the Mary Hardin
Baylor Spring Invitational.
Junior Drew Harker turned in some strong
performances during the early stages of the season that included a
first-place finish out of 61 players at the Rhodes College Fall
Classic with a score a 36-hole effort of 146. At Emory's next
tournament, Harker was the Eagles' No. 2 finisher and 20th out
of 81 players at the Greensboro College Invitational with a
147.
PING All-South Region
Rod
Olivero
one
team
Guatemala City,
Guatemala
Jeremy
Evans
one
team
Palm Harbor, FL (The Cambridge School)
All-University Athletic Association
Jeremy
Evans
First Team Palm Harbor,
FL (The Cambridge School)
Sean
Madgett
First
Team
Sammamish, WA (Pendleton School/Tulane)
Rodrigo
Olivero
Second Team
Guatemala City, Guatemala
John
Ross
Second Team
N. Barrington, IL (Barrington)
Raffi Simel
Second Team Greensboro, NC (Grimsley)
UAA Golfer of the Week
Jeremy
Evans
March 29,
2007
Palm Harbor, FL (The Cambridge School)
Rod
Olivero
Oct. 24, 2006 Guatemala City, Guatemala
Rhodes College Fall Classic All-Tournament
Drew
Harker
Barrington, RI (Barrington)
Jeremy
Evans
Palm Harbor, FL (The Cambridge School)