NORMAN, Okla (July 22, 2020)  – Rising senior Luke Labenski and rising juniors A.J. Iacobellis and Brandon Wei of the Stevens Institute of Technology golf team were named Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of America, the organization announced Thursday evening.

The accolades are the first in program history. 

"I am extremely proud of our three All-America Scholars, the first in program history," head coach Charles Papendick said. "These student athletes have shown the ability to excel both in the classroom and on the golf course. It's wonderful to see their commitment recognized nationally. I look forward to more accolades and tournament championships from these wonderful young athletes and our entire team which had a GPA of 3.881 for the spring semester."

Additionally, Stevens was one of 15 Division III schools to receive the GCAA's President's Special Recognition Award for having a team grade-point average of at least 3.5. The Ducks were one of 250 programs to earn the organization's Team Academic Award, receiving the accolade for the first time since 2015, when the program also last earned the President's Special Recognition Award. A total of 95 programs across the NAIA and all NCAA divisions received the President's Special Recognition Award. 

To be eligible for Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar status, a student-athlete must be a sophomore, junior or senior academically in Division I, II, III, and NAIA, or receiving their Associate's Degree and in their last year of athletic eligibility in the NJCAA. In addition, they must have a stroke-average under 76.0 in Division I, 78.0 in Division II, 78.0 in NAIA and 79.0 in Division III, 77.0 in NJCAA, and maintain a minimum cumulative career GPA of 3.2. For 2019-20 only, they must participate in 40% of the team's competitive rounds. Sophomore student-athletes were eligible for the prestigious award for the first time in 2020.

Iacobellis appeared in all 10 rounds during the 2019-20 season, finishing with a 78.90 stroke average, trimming nearly two strokes per round off his first-year campaign, to finish with the ninth-lowest single-year average in program history. 

Labenski also appeared in all 10 rounds, concluding his third season on Castle Point with a 78.50 average, finishing with the seventh-lowest single-season average in program history. The Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida native matched the sixth-lowest single-round score in program history with a two-over 73 at the Frederick W. Anton III Memorial Invite on Sept. 15.

Wei appeared in six rounds and trimmed three strokes off his first-year average to finish with an average score of 77 even. The Warren, New Jersey native shot the third-lowest single-round with a one-under 70 in the opening round of the Revolutionary Collegiate Classic on Oct. 12. 

After a strong fall season that saw the Ducks win a pair of tournaments, the team's spring season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thursday's announcement was the second for the GCAA, who announced an early wave on June 17. A total of 1,018 student-athletes received the distinction, setting a record for the honorees since the program began in 1982. A total of 189 student-athletes from Division III institutions were honored in either the early or second wave of announcements.

Click here for the GCAA's official release.

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