Five Named NCAA DI Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-American Scholars
NORMAN, Okla. — Five members of The University of New Mexico men’s golf team have been named Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-American Scholars for their outstanding work in the classroom over the 2020-21 season. The prestigious accolade goes to redshirt-senior Ross Sinclair, juniors Brandon Shong, Ignacio Arcaya and Sam Choi as well as sophomore Albert Boneta, tying last season’s total for the most Lobos to achieve the honor in program history.
Sinclair, Choi and Arcaya were three of the five to earn the honor in 2019-20 and have now earned a spot on the list in back-to-back seasons. The five 2021 All-American Scholars come off of a tremendous, 2020-21 campaign in which the Lobos claimed the 2021 Mountain West Championship title and finished the 2021 NCAA Albuquerque Regional in seventh place.
To be eligible for Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar status an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior both academically and athletically in NCAA 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 participate in 40-percent of his team’s competitive rounds, have a stroke-average under 76.0 in NCAA Division I, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at his college or university.
As a team, the Lobos posted their third-best semester grade point average in program history, a 3.74 GPA, in Spring 2021 while also posting the best GPA among UNM men’s sport programs. Individually, sophomore Sam Choi adds this honor to a long list of accomplishments this season including PING DI All-Region, PING All-American Honorable Mention and, most recently, he was named to the PGA TOUR University Class of 2022 Summer Rankings list. Choi and Boneta were also honored with spots on the 2021 All-Mountain West Team.
Choi tied for first overall at the Mountain West Championships while Boneta registered an individual victory on the season when he tied for first at the Thunderbird Collegiate.
All five honorees finished the 2020-21 season with a stroke average of less than 74.4, over a full stroke and a half below the requirement to be added to the All-American Scholar list: Shong 73.24, Arcaya 74.33, Choi 70.83, Boneta 71.75 and Sinclair 74.08.