FARMINGTON, Utah — Five members of the Hartford men's golf team were recognized by the Big Sky Conference for their academic excellence, the organization announced. Rising sophomore
Manuel Romero, rising junior
Jared Winiarz, rising seniors
Eric Evans and
Ryan Tomaso and recent graduate
Elias Gross were each named to the Big Sky All-Academic Team.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must have met and/or exceeded the minimum requirements, including a minimum 3.2 GPA. Student-athletes also must have participated in at least half of the team's competition and must have completed at least one academic term at his/her current Big Sky institution.
In addition to taking home All-Academic Team accolades, Gross was also named a Big Sky Scholar-Athlete. An entrepreneurial studies major from Thousand Oaks, Calif., he has been sensational on the golf course as well. Gross posted a 75.63 stroke average in six events in 2019-20, while his career 74.95 average is the fifth-best mark in program history.
A finance major, Evans earns a spot on the All-Academic Team for the third time in as many seasons. Posting the second lowest stroke average on the team this past season with a 74.83 mark, the Dover, N.H., native ended the shortened campaign with his best showing, a 14th-place finish at the Lonnie Barton Invitational.
Tomaso, a marketing major, also earns a spot on the All-Academic Team for the third time in his career. A native of Milford, Mass., he enjoyed a breakout season for the Hawks on the links in 2019-20, leading the way with a career-low 73.65 stroke average. A runner-up finish at the UConn Invite at Great Horse highlighted Tomaso's impressive campaign, where he carded a season-best three-round score of 215 (-1).
Winiarz, a native of Norton, Mass., receives All-Academic Team distinction for the second straight season. The business major competed in five events this past season and showed nearly a one-stroke improvement from his rookie season's average score.
Wrapping up the All-Academic team honorees is Romero, a business and analytics major from Doral, Fla. He had an impressive rookie campaign with three top-25 efforts, including a ninth place finish at the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate. Romero was named the Big Sky Golfer of the Week following that event, which saw him card a career-low 54 hole score of 209 on the par-71 course.
