May 2, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Fresh off its Big Ten championship, Northwestern received more good news on Tuesday when three of its players -- senior Dillon Dougherty (Woodland, Calif./Woodland), junior David Merkow (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead Union) and junior Chris Wilson (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) -- earned All-Big Ten honors.
Merkow and Wilson were named to the Conference's six-player first team while Dougherty was named to the second team.
Merkow, who finished the regular season as the highest-ranked Big Ten player in the Golfweek/Sagarin index, also was named the Conference's Player of the Year. He joins former Northwestern golfers Scott Rowe (1994, 1995) and Luke Donald (1999, 2000 and 2001) as a Big Ten Player of the Year honoree. The Conference began its Player of the Year award in 1988.
Merkow led the Wildcats with a 72.97 stroke average and six top-20 finishes this year, which included a first-place effort at the 2005 Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge in October. He also finished seventh at the 2006 Puerto Rico Classic and earned Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors for his showing there.
Wilson is coming off the top two performances of his collegiate career, placing second at the Fossum/Spartan Invitational on April 23 and then winning the Big Ten Championship in thrilling fashion on Sunday. Wilson birdied three of his final four holes to overtake Michigan State's Ryan Brehm for the title. Wilson owns a 73.06 stroke average and has five top-20 finishes this year.
Dougherty, a 2006 Ben Hogan Award candidate, is third on the team's stroke average list with a 74.00 mark. He placed fourth in a pair of events -- the William Tucker Invitational and the CordeValle Collegiate. Dougherty's season highlight, however, came in April when he was one of five amateurs to play in the Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club. Dougherty earned his Masters' berth by finishing as the U.S. Amateur runner-up last August.
Sophomore Kyle Moore (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto), who won the Kepler Intercollegiate for his first college win last month, was named Northwestern's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient.
The Wildcats return to action Thursday, May 18 in the NCAA Regional Championships. Northwestern will learn its regional assignment on Monday, May 8.
2006 MEN'S GOLF POSTSEASON HONORS
FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG TEN
Ryan Brehm, Michigan State
Jorge Campillo, Indiana
Pariya Junhasavasdikul, Purdue
Bronson La'Cassie, Minnesota
David Merkow, Northwestern
Chris Wilson, Northwestern
SECOND TEAM ALL-BIG TEN
Colin Biles, Ohio State
Dillon Dougherty, Northwestern
Matt Harmon, Michigan State
Patrick Nagle, Illinois
Mark Ogren, Illinois
Peter Richardson, Purdue
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
David Merkow, Northwestern
COACH OF THE YEAR
Mike Mayer, Indiana
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Jorge Campillo, Indiana (*Unanimous)
2006 MEN'S GOLF SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES
Blair Harkins, Illinois
Drew Allenspach, Indiana
Andy Tiedt, Iowa
Brian Ottenweller, Michigan
Zac Zedrick, Michigan State
Victor Almstrom, Minnesota
Kyle Moore, Northwestern
David Vallina, Ohio State
Robert Rohanna, Penn State
Pariya Junhasavasdikul, Purdue
Garrett Jones, Wisconsin