May 8, 2006
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech juniors Roberto Castro and Kevin Larsen, as well as freshman Cameron Tringale, all made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference men’s golf team announced Monday, while head coach Bruce Heppler was named conference Coach of the Year and Tringale was named Freshman of the Year.
Tech, the ACC co-champion, led all conference schools with three selections in voting by the league’s 11 head coaches (Miami does not field a team). Castro, a junior from Alpharetta, Ga., earned All-ACC honors for the third-straight year, while Larsen, a junior from Santa Barbara, Calif., earned honors for the first time.
Tringale, the 2006 ACC individual medalist from Laguna Niguel, Calif., became the first Tech freshman to earn all-conference honors since Bryce Molder in 1998 and is the fifth Tech player to be named Freshman of the Year. He has won twice in his first year of collegiate competition, also capturing medalist honors at the UH-Hilo Intercollegiate in early February.
Heppler, in his 11th season at Tech, won Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time, guiding a team with just one senior and two freshmen playing regularly to three victories this year, including the Yellow Jackets’ first conference title since 2002. Tech is ranked fourth nationally in all three college golf polls, and the three players who earned all-conference honors all rank among the nation’s top 25 players.
Also making the all-conference team was Duke senior Ryan Blaum, who made it for the third straight year and also was named conference Player of the Year, while fellow teammate Jake Grodzinsky, a junior, earned first-time honors.
Clemson, North Carolina, and Wake Forest were each represented by two players from their respective universities. Clemson seniors Brian Duncan and Stephen Poole captured first time honors on the All-Conference team. ACC Co-Champion North Carolina was represented by junior Martin Ureta, a second-straight honoree and freshman Robert Riesen. Kyle Reifers, a senior from Wake Forest, captured his third-straight accolade while fellow teammate Webb Simpson, ACC Freshman of the Year last season, earned his second straight honor on the All-ACC team. Rounding out the twelve member team is senior Stephen Lewton from NC State, his first such honor.
The 2006 All-ACC Men’s Golf Team
Brian Duncan, Clemson, Sr., Greenville, S.C.
Stephen Poole, Clemson, Sr., Spartanburg, S.C.
Ryan Blaum, Duke, Sr., Coral Gables, Fla.
Jake Grodzinsky, Duke, Jr., Cornville, Ariz.
Roberto Castro, Georgia Tech, Jr., Alpharetta, Ga.
Kevin Larsen, Georgia Tech, Jr., Santa Barbara, Calif.
Cameron Tringale, Georgia Tech, Fr., Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Martin Ureta, North Carolina, Jr., Santiago, Chile
Robert Riesen, North Carolina, Fr., Pinehurst, N.C.
Stephen Lewton, NC State, Sr., Milton Keyes, England
Kyle Reifers, Wake Forest, Sr., Columbus, Ohio
Webb Simpson, Wake Forest, So., Raleigh, N.C.
Player of the Year – Ryan Blaum, Duke
Freshman of the Year – Cameron Tringale, Georgia Tech
Coach of the Year – Bruce Heppler, Georgia Tech
