May 13, 2014
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s Ollie Schniederjans was named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, and Yellow Jackets’ head coach Bruce Heppler was named conference Coach of the Year Tuesday as the ACC announced its all-conference team and individual awards.
Schniederjans was joined on the All-ACC team by teammates Anders Albertson and Seth Reeves in voting by the league’s 12 head coaches.
Schniederjans, a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award, has won five tournaments this year, tied for the most in the country and a season best all-time by a Yellow Jacket. Ranked No. 4 in the country by Golfstat, his 69.73 stroke average is the best in the league and the second best in program history. The Powder Springs, Ga., native has won three straight events – the Valspar Invitational, Robert Kepler Invitational, and the ACC Championship – and was named to the United States’ 2014 Palmer Cup team. He is the fifth Yellow Jacket to win the award, joining Bryce Molder (1999-2001), David Duval (1992-93), Stewart Cink (1995) and Matt Kuchar (1998).
“The Georgia Tech players who have been named ACC Player of the Year are pretty special people, and to add my name to that list is very exciting,” said Schniederjans, who made the All-ACC team for the second time. “There are a lot of great players in our conference, and I want to thank the coaches for honoring me.”
Heppler’s Yellow Jackets won their fifth ACC Championship in the last six years, winning by six strokes to take home the 2014 title. Georgia Tech has won five tournaments this year, including the past three, and was victorious at the Capital City Club Match Play Championship. The Jackets, who are currently ranked No. 5 by Golfstat, are the No. 1 seed in the Raleigh Regional. This is the eighth ACC Coach of the Year honor for Heppler.
“The ACC is a great golf conference, and it means a lot to be voted these honors by your peers. I’m very grateful,” said Heppler. “Ollie was the top-ranked guy in our league and won the championship, and he’s had a terrific year, so I’m thrilled for him. It’s rewarding to see Anders make the team again, and for Seth to be on the team in his last season and be recognized for the improvement he has made.”
Albertson, a junior from Woodstock, Ga., who has five top-10 finishes and was the ACC Championship runner-up in April, becomes the 10th Georgia Tech player to make the All-ACC team three times. That list includes eight active PGA Tour professionals. Reeves, the nation’s 22nd-ranked player with two tournament victories and four top-10 finishes this year, made the team for the first time.
Florida State’s Jack Maguire, who won two tournaments and finished in the top 10 in eight of 10 event, was named the ACC Rookie of the Year. With a stroke average of 70.67, he is the second-highest ranked freshman in the country at No. 14 according to Golfstat, and is the third-highest from the ACC. At the USF Invitational in March, he carded the lowest round (62, -10) and the lowest tournament score in relation to par (-16) in program history. Maguire is the second straight Seminole and third overall to named ACC Freshman of the Year (Hank Lebioda, 2013; Brooks Koepka, 2009).
Six programs are represented on this year’s All-ACC team. Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech led the way with three players selected. Florida State and Virginia each had two players tabbed for the All-ACC team, with Notre Dame and Wake Forest both having one player chosen.
2014 ACC Men’s Golf Individual Awards
Player of the Year – Ollie Schniederjans, Jr., Georgia Tech
Freshman of the Year – Jack Maguire, Fr., Florida State
Coach of the Year – Bruce Heppler, Georgia Tech
2014 Men’s Golf All-ACC Team
Jack Maguire, Fr., Florida State
Hank Lebioda, So., Florida State
Seth Reeves, Sr., Georgia Tech
Ollie Schniederjans, Jr., Georgia Tech
Anders Albertson, Jr., Georgia Tech
Niall Platt, Sr., Notre Dame
Denny McCarthy, Jr., Virginia
Ben Rusch, Sr., Virginia
Trevor Cone, Jr., Virginia Tech
Scott Vincent, Jr., Virginia Tech
Bryce Chalkley, Sr., Virginia Tech
Thomas Birdsey, Sr., Wake Forest
About Georgia Tech Golf
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 19th year under head coach Bruce Heppler. The Yellow Jackets have won 15 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 27 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up four times. Connect with Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on Twitter (@GT_Golf). For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
