McLean County Times

Illinois Wesleyan University saw five of its men's golf team members named to the 2024-25 Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars list, according to an announcement from the Golf Coaches Association of America on July 29. This recognition ties Illinois Wesleyan for the second-most honorees among NCAA Division III schools.

The athletes recognized are seniors Quinn Clifford and Griffin Pohl, and juniors Juney Bai, Aidan Healy, and Michael Spitzer. Across NCAA Division III, a total of 202 student-athletes from 78 institutions received this honor. Illinois Wesleyan's five selections were one behind Rhodes College, which led with six honorees. The Titans also tied with Emory and Southwestern for second-most in their division and ranked seventh across all collegiate golf divisions.

To qualify as a Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar, nominees must be sophomores, juniors, or seniors both academically and athletically in NCAA Division I, II, III or NAIA programs, or be in their final year at an NJCAA institution. Additional requirements include participation in at least half of their team's competitive rounds, maintaining a stroke average below 79.0 for Division III athletes, holding a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2, and being in good academic standing.

Quinn Clifford graduated with a business degree and a perfect 4.00 GPA. In his senior season he played in 11 tournaments with an average score of 72.8 per round over 31 rounds. Clifford achieved nine top-20 finishes—including five top-10s—and won the Take Back the Night Challenge on April 26. He was honored as the first three-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-America in program history earlier this summer and earned multiple other awards during his career.

Griffin Pohl was named a GCAA PING Second Team All-American after posting a career-best scoring average of 72.1 over 31 rounds. He was recognized as CCIW Men's Golfer of the Year and tied Illinois Wesleyan’s single-round to-par record with an eight-under-par score at the Take Back the Night Challenge on April 25. Pohl graduated with a finance degree and held a GPA of 3.77.

Juney Bai maintained a perfect 4.00 GPA as a business major while earning All-CCIW and GCAA PING All-Region honors during his junior year. He competed in 11 tournaments with an average score of 73.4 per round and claimed victory at the Jekyll Island Collegiate Individual Tournament.

Aidan Healy earned Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar status for the first time after averaging 73.4 strokes per round over ten events during his junior season. He holds a GPA of 3.48 as a marketing major.

Michael Spitzer averaged 72 strokes per round over eleven tournaments last season and secured wins at both the Heartland Fall Invite and CCIW Championship while finishing fifth at nationals among Division III players.

The Titans completed one of their most successful seasons by winning five tournaments overall and achieving their best finish at the NCAA Championship since claiming the national title in 2021.