Three Rockets Named to Academic All-MAC Team

CLEVELAND, OH - Senior Thomas Shindler, sophomore Colin Joseph and sophomore Stephen Watts have been named to the 2015-16 Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team, the league office announced on Thursday. The trio represents UT on the 23-player list which honors student-athletes' achievements both on the golf course as well as in the classroom.

The Rockets finished tied for second in the conference for the most academic recipients with Akron and Eastern Michigan, trailing only Miami with four.

An accounting major with a 3.66 GPA, Shindler registered a 77.5 stroke average in seven tournaments in 2015-16. The fourth-year Rocket took part in the final five events this spring, firing a season-tying best three-over par 74 during the third round of the MAC Championships (April 29). Shindler's best performance this past season came at the second-annual Rocket Individual Classic, where he tied for second place at eight-over par 152 (78-74) (Oct. 25). The 2013-14 honorable mention Academic All-MAC honoree also carded a season-tying best two-over par 74 during the second round of the Rocket event. In the classroom, Shindler has been a member of UT's Dean's List in six of the last seven semesters.

A pre-marketing major with a 3.67 GPA, Joseph ranked third on the team with a 76.7 stroke average in 12 tournaments. He shot par or better on five occasions in 2015-16, the third-highest total on the squad. The Loveland, OH native's top effort occurred at the Firestone Invitational, where he tied for 42nd place with a collegiate-best three-round score of four-over par 220 (72-76-72) (Oct. 5-6). A member of UT's Dean's List in Fall 2014, he also won a team-tying best two of three matches at the Earl Yestingsmeier Match Play event (Feb. 8-9). The two-year letterwinner carded a career-best three-under par 69 during the second round at the Mission Inn Spring Spectacular (March 12).

A pre-finance major with a 3.37 GPA, Watts finished second on the squad with a 75.1 stroke average in 12 events. The two-year letterwinner shot par or better on eight occasions, the second-highest total on the team. A highlight for Watts would be tying for 15th place with a score of 14-over par 298 (75-76-75-72) at the MAC Championships (April 28-30). He carded a tally of one-over par 72 during the final round of the conference event. He also finished in fourth place with a collegiate-best two-under par 140 (70-70) at the season-opening Notre Dame Kickoff Challenge (Aug. 30), carding a collegiate-tying best one-under par 70 during both rounds to help the Rockets' capture the team title.

The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests.

2015-16 Academic All-MAC Team
Akron
George Baylis, Sophomore, 3.267, Psychology
Louis Birchall, Senior, 3.832, Geography and Planning
Ryan Harris, Senior, 3.426, Sports Management

Ball State
Michael VanDeventer, Sophomore, 3.378, Exercise Science
Johnny Watts, Sophomore, 3.412, Finance

Bowling Green
Mitchell Kontak, Sophomore, 3.372, Finance
Jose Narro, Junior, 3.453, Supply Chain Management

Eastern Michigan
Kyle Rodes, Junior, 3.64, Exercise Science
Nic Ross, Sophomore, 3.64, General Business
Brett White, Senior, 3.50, Supply Chain Management

Kent State
Ian Holt, Sophomore, 3.33, Business Management
Chase Johnson, Sophomore, 3.47, Marketing

Miami
Patrick Flavin, Sophomore, 3.22, Quantitative Economics
Bud Radis, Senior, 3.70, Finance
Daniel Schwarz, Senior, 3.99, Finance
Jack Sparling, Senior, 3.23, Sport Leadership and Management

Northern Illinois
Pierrick Fillon, Junior, 3.216, Mechanical Engineering
Joo-Young Lee, Junior, 3.279, Finance

Ohio
Grant Engel, Sophomore, 3.701, Finance
Peyton White, Junior, 3.655, Finance

TOLEDO
Colin Joseph, Sophomore, 3.67, Pre-Marketing
Thomas Shindler, Senior, 3.66, Accounting
Stephen Watts, Sophomore, 3.37, Pre-Finance

Players Mentioned

Colin Joseph

Thomas Shindler

Stephen Watts

Footer