Men's Golf Picks Up GCAA Academic Honors

NORMAN, Okla. – The Washington State men's golf team's excellence in the classroom was recognized recently by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). Three Cougs were named Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars by the GCAA, while the program earned an all-academic team selection from the organization.

Fifth-year senior Nicklaus Chiam, graduate transfer Eric Hagen and redshirt junior Max Sekulic were each named 2021 Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-American Scholars. It is the second time that Chiam earned the distinction in his WSU career, as he was named to the team in 2019. While it was the first selection for both Hagen and Sekulic.

Chiam, who is a native of Singapore, concluded his Cougar career with a 3.39 cumulative grade point average. He was a three-time Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll selection and graduated this spring with a Bachelor's Degree in International Business. Chiam tied for the team lead in stroke average in 2021, shooting 73.4 strokes per round through 19 rounds during his final season at WSU.

This is the second round of postseason academic honors for both Hagen and Sekulic this spring, as each golfer was selected to the 2021 Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll. Hagen, who is a graduate transfer from the University of Denver, posted a 3.70 cumulative grade point average while working on his Master of Business Administration. Sekulic, who is working on a general studies degree, holds a cumulative grade point average of 3.78. Hagen's 73.4 stroke average through 19 rounds tied him with Chiam for the team lead this past spring, while Sekulic finished the year posting a 73.6 stroke average through 19 rounds.

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 addition, they must participate in 40-percent of his team's competitive rounds, have a stroke-average under 76.0 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, Washington State earned a GCAA All-Academic Team distinction as the Cougars finished the 2020-21 season with a team grade point average of 3.31. WSU was one of four Pac-12 teams to earn an GCAA Outstanding Team Academic Award, joining Arizona, California and Utah. Teams with GPA's of 3.5-or-higher earn the Presidents Special Recognition, while teams with GPA's between 3.0 and 3.49 earned a GCAA All-Academic Team distinction.

For more information and exclusive content on the Washington State men's golf team, follow @WSUCougarMGolf on Instagram and Twitter.