Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Four men's golfers earn MVC honors
05/01/2008 | 12:00:00 | Men's Golf
May 1, 2008
By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com
ST. LOUIS - Saluki men's golfers John Danielson, Jordan Cox, Blake Driskell and Todd Obergoenner all garnered awards following the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship held in Pleasant Valley, Iowa April 21-22.
Junior John Danielson was named to the 10-player All-MVC First Team, sophomore Jordan Cox was named MVC Newcomer of the Year, and Blake Driskell and Todd Obergoenner were both named to the MVC Men's Golf Scholar-Athlete First Team on Thursday.
Danielson (Marshalltown, Iowa/Indian Hills CC) finished his first season as a Saluki on a high note by placing a team-best tied for sixth place at the conference championship, and ended the year with the team's third-best stroke average (75.3).
Cox (Springfield, Ill., Springfield College) made an immediate impact in his first season as a Saluki. In his first-career tournament he fired a second-round 6-under 66, which tied for the second-lowest 18-hole score in school history, and finished first at the 58-golfer, 11-team JSU National Invitational in Tunica, Miss. Cox also finished with a team-best 73.2 stroke average, which ranked as the fourth-lowest season stroke average all-time.
Driskell (Cape Girardeau, Mo./Cape Central HS), who holds a 3.87 grade point average in civil engineering, finished his sophomore campaign with the Salukis' second-best season stroke average, and tied for 11th-lowest in program history at 74.9. In two years of competing, Driskell has already made a case to be one of SIU's top golfers all-time, and currently ranks tied for fourth with a career 75.2 stroke average.
Obergoenner (Cape Girardeau, Mo./Kentucky), who carries a 4.0 GPA in university studies, had a breakout season for the Salukis with a 75.4 stroke average, while placing in the top five individually three times, top 10 five times, and top 20 in seven out of the season's 12 tournaments. He also put his name in the record book after firing the second-lowest 54-hole total in school history at 12-under-par 204, and tied for the lowest third-round score with a 5-under 67 in the last 18 holes at the ASU Indian Classic in Jonesboro, Ark.
The 2007-08 men's golf season will go down as one of the most successful in the program's 59-year history. SIU finished second place in five out of 12 tournaments, and placed in the top five seven times. This was also the first time in which four golfers received accolades by the MVC in the same season. The Salukis will return five out of seven golfers from this year's team, in addition to adding two newcomers.
Players Mentioned
