Two Pirates Named First-Team All-Conference
May 03, 2011 | Men's Golf
May 3, 2011
GREENVILLE, N.C. --- For the first time in its 10-year membership, the East Carolina men's golf team had two players named First-Team All-Conference USA with juniors Harold Varner and David Watkins receiving the accolades for their performances during the 2010-11 season.
Watkins becomes the first Pirate to be selected first-team twice after receiving the nod as a sophomore last season. Varner is making his initial appearance on the first-team after being named second-team last year. Both players were named Conference USA Golfer-of-the-Week twice during the 2010-11 campaign.
The duo has led the Pirates to a No. 35 national ranking in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index as the team has captured a pair of tournament titles while posting a 118-40 record against its field of competitors.
The twosome matched each other with 10 top-20 finishes in 11 tournaments, while Varner posted seven top-10 finishes and Watkins recorded six. Both players had four top-5 finishes.
Varner, who is ranked No. 28 individually is the sagarin ratings, collected medalist honors at the OBX Collegiate with a school-record 20-under 196 during the 54-hole event. He recorded bookend rounds of seven-under 65 with a six-under 66 in round two to win his first intercollegiate tournament. He shot under-par in 17 of 33 rounds played this season.
Watkins recently earned his first top-5 finish at the Conference USA Men's Golf Championships after he fired a five-under par 211 to finish in third-place, collecting all-tournament team honors. He posted three top-6 finishes in the final four tournaments of the year.
2011 C-USA MEN'S GOLF AWARDS
Golfer of the Year
Michael Whitehead, Rice
Freshman of the Year
Greg Eason, UCF
Newcomer of the Year
Will Dusenbury, Houston
Coach of the Year
Bryce Wallor, UCF
All-Conference USA First Team
Connor Arendell, UCF
Jonathan Fly, Memphis
Kelly Kraft, SMU
Harold Varner, East Carolina
David Watkins, East Carolina
Michael Whitehead, Rice
All-Conference USA Second Team
Jack Belote, Memphis
Greg Eason, UCF
Derek Plucienski, Southern Miss
Jason Shufflebotham, UAB
Chris Worrell, Tulsa
Conference USA All-Freshman Team
Greg Eason, UCF
Grant Milner, Memphis
Curtis Reed, Houston
Johannes Veerman, Tulsa
Jeff Wibawa, Rice
