The Ferrum College golf team was honored this week as one of six collegiate programs to earn the 2020 Mark Laesch Award, given annually by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
The Mark Laesch Award recognizes the NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and NJCAA programs that show the most improvement from one year to the next. Teams are recognized based on improvement in adjusted stroke average per round from the 2018-19 season to 2019-20.
Ferrum was cited by the GCAA as the NCAA Div. III school with the most improvement, 30.44 strokes better this season than in 2018-19.
“The Mark Laesch Award is a true honor for us at Golfstat,” said Golfstat President Brian Laesch. Golfstat is the official source for collegiate golf scores and statistics. “It is a tribute to the impact Golfstat Founder and my dad, Mark Laesch, has made on the game of college golf.
“To me, seeing the statistical improvement from season to season of these teams honored with this award represents the very foundation and driving force that built Golfstat, all the way back to the start,” said Laesch. “It is a great honor for us, and we want to congratulate all the recipients of the Mark Laesch Award for the 2019-20 season.”
“I am so proud of this group,” said Ferrum second-year Head Coach Erick Cox. “To see this team get recognized really means a lot to me. After a very rocky season last year, we were determined to turn heads this year. I believe we accomplished that and there is more to come.”
This is Ferrum’s second such award, having been named the NCAA Div. III Most Improved Team in 1995 by Wilson Sporting Goods and the GCAA.
Ferrum College is a private college in Ferrum, Va. The college itself is on the Virginia Historic Register. Roberts Hall and Beckham Hall are part of the Ferrum College Historic District and are listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
