Under the direction of first-year head coach John Sjoberg, the 2011-12 Emory golf team turned in a respectable campaign that featured a number of impressive accomplishments. Competing in the formidable South Region, which boasted six of the top-10 squads in Division III, the Eagles closed out the ’11-12 season with the following noteworthy achievements.

** The program’s 10^th straight and 17^th-ever bid to the NCAA D-III Championships.

** Being ranked 11^th nationally in the final Golf World/NIKE Division III Coaches’ Poll.

** Having one its players, senior Ryan Dagerman, capture All-America acclaim following his effort at the NCAA D-III Championships. 

** Capturing its second straight and 14^th overall University Athletic Association Championship.

** Establishing a conference scoring record at the league championship with a 36-hole score of 581.

** Finishing with a total of six top-10 finishes in 10 tournaments.

** Establishing a school single-round record with an effort of 274 during the second day of action at the Marine Federal Credit Union Championship.

** Placing two players on the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar Team, Ryan Dagerman and David Collura.

** Boasting a spring NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient in Ryan Dagerman.

Having to replace one of three All-Americans from the 2010-11 season, the team showed what it was capable of during the early portion of the fall with a runner-up finish out of 14 teams at the Al Jones Memorial, hosted by UT-Tyler.  The Eagles had three representatives among the top 20 in the 75-player field including Jonathan Chen and Ryan Dagerman who registered fourth- and sixth-place finishes, respectively.

Emory turned in a solid effort in its final fall event, coming in fifth out of 17 squads at the Royal Lakes/Oglethorpe Invitational.  Dagerman highlighted the team’s effort with a second-place showing out of 99 entries, firing an even-par 142 over 36 holes.

After opening the spring season with a seventh-place showing at the Wynlakes Wynternationals in Montgomery, Alabama, the Eagles came through with an impressive effort at the University Athletic Association Championships, setting a league record with a two-round mark of 581, bettering the previous standard of 583 set by Rochester in 1989.  Emory saw three of its performers, Dagerman, Chen and freshman Alex Wunderlich, earn First Team All-UAA recognition while David Collura and Nick Szem garnered second-team kudos.  Wunderlich also captured UAA Rookie of the Year honors as a result of his fifth-place finish in the event.

Emory followed its conference championship with an exceptional three-round run at the prestigious Jekyll Island Invitational, placing third out of 30 teams.  The Eagles shot a final-day score of 288, tying the school’s 11^th-lowest all-time mark en route to posting a team score of 872, the top effort in Emory annals for a 54-hole tourney.  Once again, Dagerman emerged as the team’s top performer, earning all-tournament honors with his final total of 215 good for eighth place in the 150-player field and the school’s second-best score ever at the event.

In the team’s next outing at the Marine Federal Credit Union Championship, both the Eagles and Dagerman carved out a piece of program history with Dagerman’s 54-hole score of two-under 212, the program’s No. 1 individual mark all-time for a three-round tournament.  In addition, the Eagles established a school record for a low round when it fired a 274 on the second day of action.

Following a sixth-place finish at its own Spring Invitational, Emory secured a bid as one of 41 teams to take part in the NCAA D-III Championships at the Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the Hills, Florida.  After turning in a first-day score of 309 on the rugged El Campeon Course, the Eagles bounced back for a second-round 297 on the Los Colinas Course.  However, the team fell just two shots shy of making the cut for the final two rounds of action.  Despite the team being falling short of playing over the final two days, Dagerman continued on as an individual and earned All-America honors for the third straight campaign. 

Dagerman closed out an outstanding four-year career that saw him finish as the school’s all-time leader in scoring average with a 74.38 strokes-per-round average.  His seventh-place finish at the NCAA D-III Championships enabled him to capture First Team All-America honors making him just one of two players in school history to earn All-America status three times.  Dagerman established a school seasonal scoring mark with an effort of 73.0 strokes per round and he ranked as the team’s top performer in seven of the squad’s 10 tournaments.  A First Team All-UAA honoree, Dagerman was also selected to the PING All-South Region Team.  Named as the UAA Golfer of the Week on five occasions during the course of the campaign, he posted 11 rounds of par or better.

Chen enjoyed a solid second year in the program, ranking second on the squad with a 75.25 strokes-per-round average.  A First Team All-UAA honoree after tying for third place at the league championship, he posted six rounds of par or better and recorded a pair of career-best outings 68.

Alex Wunderlich distinguished himself during his freshman season, competing in eight tournaments and ranking No. 3 on the squad in scoring average with a 76.2 strokes-per-round mark.  He was selected as the UAA Rookie of the Year and garnered  first team all-conference acclaim after  posting a fifth-place finish at the league championship. 

Honors and Awards