CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Coastal Carolina senior Dustin Johnson and Chanticleers head coach Allen Terrell were voted the 2006-07 Big South Men’s Golfer of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively, by the League’s head coaches and sports information directors, it was announced Monday evening at the League’s annual awards banquet.  Birmingham-Southern’s J.T. Clendenin was selected as Freshman of the Year, while High Point’s Chase Wilson garnered Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades.  Johnson becomes the first men’s golfer in League history to be named Player of the Year three times.

Johnson was a unanimous selection as he received all 14 first-place votes from the panel.  He led all Big South men’s golfers during the regular-season with a 70.61 stroke average and posted a League-best nine top-10 finishes, including Medalist honors at the Coca-Cola Duke Golf Classic and the Administaff ASU Invitational.  Ranked No. 7 nationally by Golfweek, Johnson was at one time this season the No. 1 ranked player in the country.  Johnson finished six tournaments under par, and carded 11 of his 33 total rounds in the 60s.  He is now the sixth men’s golfer in Big South history to be named All-Conference all four years, is a semifinalst for the Ben Hogan Award, and was recently named to represent the United States in the June Palmer Cup event.

Clendenin is Birmingham-Southern’s first-ever Freshman of the Year recipient.  He ranked sixth in the Big South with a 72.80 stroke average and posted a team-high five top-10 finishes for the Panthers.  Clendenin won the BSC Spring Invitational, was named Big South Golfer of the Week four times, and was Birmingham-Southern’s top finisher in six events.  He finished 13th or better in eight of nine tournaments, carded five rounds in the 60s and totaled seven rounds under par this season.

Wilson, a senior majoring in Business Administration-Marketing, is a three-time Men’s Golf All-Academic team member and the first High Point men’s golfer to win Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  He is a three-time Big South Presidential Honor Roll, a four-time Millis Scholar-Athlete at HPU and a member of High Point’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.  On the course, Wilson played in all nine events this season, ranking second on team with a 75.27 stroke average.  He leads the team with two Top 10 finishes and three rounds under-par.  Wilson also qualified for the Carolinas Amateur Golf Championship in 2006.

The Big South also announced five of its All-Conference honorees at the banquet.  These selections are based on regular-season play and feature Johnson and Coastal Carolina teammates Zack Byrd and Lindsay Renolds, Charleston Southern’s Stuart Carrihill and Radford’s Josh Meador.  The remaining All-Conference members will consist of the top five finishers (and any additional ties) in the Championship not among those announced at the banquet.

Coastal Carolina leads the 2007 PUPS Big South Men’s Golf Championship following Monday’s round, which is being contested at Limestone Springs Golf Course in Oneonta, Ala.  Second round action will begin Tuesday morning at 8:30am CT, while final round competition is slated for Wednesday morning at 8:00am CT.  The men’s champion will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Regionals.  The event is free and open to the public.

2007 Big South Conference Men’s Golf Award Winners

All-Conference 
Dustin Johnson, Coastal Carolina
Zack Byrd, Coastal Carolina
Stuart Carrihill, Charleston Southern
Josh Meador, Radford
Lindsay Renolds, Coastal Carolina
 
Academic All-Conference
Tommy Jensen, Birmingham-Southern
Adam Sieg, Charleston Southern
Zack Byrd, Coastal Carolina
Chase Wilson, High Point
Peter Horstman, Liberty
Josh Meador, Radford
Pete Alminas, Winthrop

Golfer of the Year
Dustin Johnson, Coastal Carolina

Freshman of the Year
J.T. Clendenin, Birmingham-Southern

Coach of the Year
Allen Terrell, Coastal Carolina

Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Chase Wilson, High Point