CHARLOTTE, NC – Winthrop senior Pete Alminas (East Longmeadow, MA) received the 2008 Big South Conference Men's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award during the league's annual awards banquet Sunday night at The Patriot Golf Club near Ninety-Six, SC.

 

Alminas, a Finance major, is now a three-time Men’s Golf All-Academic team member and the first Winthrop men’s golfer since Kyle Christman in 2004 to be voted Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  Alminas is among the top 10 in the Big South in scoring average (team-high 74.07), posted two top 10 finishes this year and was Winthrop’s top finisher in five events in 2007-08.  Alminas also is a three-time Big South Presidential Honor Roll member and a three-time Dean’s List selection during his career.  

 

Coastal Carolina freshman Tripp McAllister and Radford head coach Michael Grant were voted the 2007-08 Big South Men’s Golfer of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively, by the League’s head coaches and sports information directors.  McAllister also was unanimously voted Freshman of the Year. McAllister is the first men’s golfer in Big South history to be named both Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.  

 

Grant, in his fifth year at the helm, earns his first Big South Coach of the Year honor after leading the Highlanders to the No. 2 seed in the Big South Men’s Golf Championship.  Radford went a League-best 11-4 in head-to-head competition against Big South opponents in 2007-08, and he directed his squad to six top 5 team finishes in nine events. 

 

 

The 2008 Big South Men’s Golf Championship begins today with the first and second rounds (36 holes), beginning at 8:00 a.m.  The 54-hole event concludes Tuesday, April 22 at 8:00 a.m., with the champion receiving the Big South’s automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals.

 

2008 Big South Conference Men’s Golf Award Winners

 

All-Conference                                                                                   

Tripp McAllister, Coastal Carolina

Nick Little, Radford

Nathan Schenz-Davis, Liberty

Dan Obremski, Coastal Carolina

Hampton Ballard, Radford

                                                                                                               

Academic All-Conference

Herve Gevers, Charleston Southern

Lindsay Renolds, Coastal Carolina

Marc Issler, High Point

Jay Calvo, Liberty

Patrick Coleman, Presbyterian

Pete Alminas, Winthrop

 

Golfer of the Year

Tripp McAllister, Coastal Carolina

 

Freshman of the Year

Tripp McAllister, Coastal Carolina

 

Coach of the Year

Michael Grant, Radford

 

Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Pete Alminas, Winthrop