(Editor’s note: MSUB Athletics release)
PORTLAND, Ore. – Leading the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with four academic all-conference selections, the Montana State University Billings women’s golf team placed half of its roster on the list announced by the league office Thursday. Riley Kaercher is the lone men’s player honored.
MSUB’s four selections were the most among any team in the GNAC. Seniors Shealyn Hafer and Sarah Schroefel and sophomores Kylee Knobloch and Sydney Rochford represented the Yellowjackets on the academic all-conference list.
“It is great to see four of our women recognized for their hard work in the classroom,” said MSUB head coach Jeff Allen. “Sarah, Shealyn, and Kylee are all completing their education this year, and with that they have carried a heavy load of academics, athletics, and planning for their futures. Their hard work and dedication to their future and the golf program is what college athletics is all about. It is the exact culture that I am seeking with our golf program.”
Hafer earned the honor for the third consecutive year, and was 1 of 3 players in the conference to achieve that status. Hafer carries a 3.60 grade point average while studying special education. She is MSUB’s leading golfer and ranks No. 9 in the GNAC with a scoring average of 79.6 strokes per round this year. Hafer, a Butte native, has twice earned GNAC Golfer of the Week honors, while playing in all 18 rounds and twice matching her career low with a score of 73.
Schroefel has also played in all 18 rounds this year, and carries a scoring average of 84.8 strokes per round. The Worland, Wyoming, native holds a 3.40 GPA as she completes her degree in health administration.
Rochford is in her second season at MSUB, and has a 3.67 GPA while studying management. The sophomore from Sidney has played in 12 rounds so far this season, and holds a scoring average of 88.5 strokes per round.
Knobloch is also completing her second year with the ‘Jackets, and she has a 3.33 GPA while completing her degree in special education. Knobloch, of Birney, has played in four rounds this year and has a scoring average of 95.5.
In order to be eligible for academic all-conference, players must carry a 3.20 GPA or higher, be in at least their second season with their university, and have competed during the 2018-19 season. MSUB’s women’s golf team is next in action at the 2019 GNAC Championships, running April 22-23 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Kaercher, a sophomore from Billings, holds a 3.50 grade point average while working towards a degree in accounting.
“It is great to see Riley recognized for his hard work in the classroom,” said Allen. “Riley is a very dedicated student-athlete, and that has shown in the classroom and on the golf course this year. He is a guy who leads by example and shows up every day with a good attitude and work ethic.”
Kaercher holds a scoring average of 79.5 strokes per round this year, which ranks him fourth on the Yellowjacket team. He has competed in 22 rounds and eight different events, and has completed one round at par or better on the year. That mark was a 68 at the Rocky Mountain College Battlin’ Bear Fall Invitational, which stands as the lowest individual round by an MSUB player this season.
Individuals must carry a grade point average of 3.20 or higher, be in at least their second season with their university, and compete on the course during the year in order to be eligible for academic all-conference accolades.
MSUB’s men’s golf team is next in action at the GNAC Championships, running April 22-23 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. MSUB’s men rank sixth in the GNAC with a team scoring average of 307.2 strokes per round in 2018-19.
