May 14, 2009
CHOUDRANT, La. -- Wednesday's golf banquet was a night of recognition and fond memories as Louisiana Tech head coach Jean Hall awarded his golf players for their efforts in the 2008-09 golf season while announcing his retirement after five years as head of the LA Tech golf program.
"Tonight we honor and thank all the people who have made our season so successful," Hall said. "Without the dedication of our players and the support of those who have given so generously, none of this would be possible."
After dinner, Hall gave out awards to various golfers from this past season. The awards are as follows:
o Lettermen Award
Corey Bartlett, Amrith de Soysa and Ryan Robertson
o Academic Award
Ryan Robertson and Timothy Byrd
o Captain's Award
Corey Bartlett and Amrith de Soysa
o Newcomer of the Year
Cody Santone
o Top Dawg Award
Matthew Harvey
Afterward, Hall talked about his upcoming retirement and his fond memories of his time as Tech's golf coach.
"I'll always remember the dedication that my teams showed," Hall said. "That meant waking up at five in the morning, hitting golf balls in the dark, playing 36 holes and turning right around and playing 18 the next day. These were an exceptional group of men that I had the privilege of coaching, and I'll always remember my time fondly."
During Hall's tenure, the Bulldogs have either graduated every student-athlete that entered the golf program or is on schedule to graduate. The APR for the past three years has been 1000 and the overall number for the golf team is one of the highest across the Tech athletics board.
Hall was also a critical part in the raising of over $250,000 for the general foundation fund for the golf program, and a total of nearly $395,000 has been raised for the program since his taking over the program.
On the course, Tech won the 2007 Hal Sutton Golf Classic and has had five individual championships with Derek Busby, Trey McNeil, Amrith de Soysa, Preston Smith and Matthew Harvey all winning the gold medal. Harvey even became the first Louisiana Tech golfer to be awarded first team All-WAC.
The golf teams over the past five years have also had the lowest team average (295), the highest national ranking (98th), the lowest tournament score (277), and the most top five finishes of all Tech golf teams since Golf Stat was established in 1993.
