After claiming the program's seventh Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title since 2007, the Endicott golf team received six total all-conference honors as they prepare for the NCAA DIII Tournament. Leading the way was Carter Knox (Hinesburg, Vt.), who was named CCC Scholar-Athlete, becoming the first student-athlete to earn the distinction in program history, while head coach Tom Smith was named Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his illustrious career.
Following a historic performance at the CCC championship, Christopher Billings (Portland, Maine), and Knox were named to the All-CCC First Team, while Connor Brown (Granby, Conn.) and Kenneth Tuttle (Gorham, Maine) were named to the All-CCC Second team for their efforts in the 2018-19 season. As a program, the Gulls also claimed their first ever Team Sportsmanship award.
Knox's Scholar-Athlete honor came following an academic career that has seen him post a 3.79 cumulative GPA as a Business Management major with a minor in Communications. Having earned Dean's List honors in six semesters, Knox will graduate as a three-time Academic All-CCC honoree, while having completed his semester-long internship at ProQuip USA with their marketing and sales teams.
On the course, Knox earned his All-CCC First Team nod after a campaign in which he posted a team-best 76.31 stroke average in nine events, over 16 rounds of play. The Hinesburg, Vt. native has posted three top-five finishes and six total top-10 finishes on the year. Knox finished second at the CCC Championship, tied for second at the Bowdoin Invitational, and tied for fourth at the UMass Dartmouth LaFrance Hospitality Invite, while posting top 10 finishes at the NEIGA DIII Championship (t-8th), UNE Invitational (6th), and the CCC Fall Qualifier (t-9th). 15 of his 16 rounds on the year were sub-80, with his year-low mark of 71 coming in the closing round of the CCC Championship to lead Endicott to a historic 25 stroke improvement on day two.
Senior Christopher Billings also was selected to the All-CCC First Team. For the Portland, Maine native, the First Team honor followed a year in which he finished second on the team in stroke average with a 78.87. Billings finished with three top-10 finishes on the year, finishing second at the CCC Qualifier in the fall, tied for sixth at the Bowdoin Invitational, and tied for eighth at the CCC Championship. In addition, the senior finished tied for 12th at the RIC Invitational and 13th at the UNE Invitational, while posting a season-best round of 72 in the final round of the CCC Championship.
For Connor Brown, the graduate student was named to the All-CCC Second Team. Brown competed in eight of the team's nine events, finishing tied for eighth at the CCC Championship. The Granby, Conn. native posted a season-low round of 73 in the second round of the CCC Championship, helping to propel the Gulls to the CCC title. Brown also finished tied for 16th at the CCC Qualifier in the fall.
Junior Kenneth Tuttle rounded out the All-CCC honors for the Gulls, finishing with a Second Team nod for his performance during the 2018-19 year. Tuttle posted a stroke average of 80.4 through 15 rounds of play in eight events. The junior finished tied for fifth at the RIC Invitational, while also finishing tied for 11th at the CCC Qualifier, tied for 15th at the CCC Championship, and tied for 20th at the Bowdoin Invitational. His season-best round of 75 was achieved twice, first at the Bowdoin Invitational to start the year, and again at the JWU Wildcat Invitational in the spring.
For head coach Tom Smith, the coach of the year honor is the fifth of his career at Endicott, which has spanned eight seasons. Under his guidance, the Gulls have qualified for the NCAA DIII Tournament three times, with their best showing coming in 2013 when Austin Teal '16 made the cut as an individual, and finished 12th in the 210 man field.
With the win in the CCC Championship, the Gulls have qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament field. The tournament will be held May 14-17 at the Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Ky.
