NeSmith Honored with First Team All-SEC Selection

May 4, 2016

2016 SEC MEN’S GOLF AWARDS
2016 SEC Award Winners // Twitter // Facebook

Dates	Event	Finish
9/11-13	Carpet Capital Collegiate Rocky Face, Ga.	3rd of 15
9/28-29	Shoal Creek Invitational Birmingham, Ala.	6th of 12
10/18-20	Tavistock Collegiate Invitational Orlando, Fla.	9th of 15
10/24-25	Camden Collegiate Invitational Camden, S.C.	1st of 11
11/6-8	Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii	5th of 19
2/19-21	All-American Intercollegiate Humble, Texas	3rd of 16
3/7-8	Palmetto Intercollegiate Aiken, S.C.	1st of 18
3/12-13	General Hackler Championship Myrtle Beach, S.C.	1st of 15
3/21-22	Valspar Collegiate Invitational Palm City, Fla.	T-5th of 15
4/3-5	Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate Awendaw, S.C.	1st of 15
4/15-17	SEC Championship St. Simons Island, Ga.	10th of 14
5/16-18	NCAA Regionals TBA
5/27-6/1	NCAA Championship Eugene, Ore.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — University of South Carolina Men’s Golf senior Matt NeSmith was honored as a First Team All-SEC selection, the league office announced Wednesday. NeSmith was joined on the SEC’s postseason honoree list by fellow senior Brendan Gramley, who was selected to the conference’s Community Service Team.

“Both of these young men are very deserving of their awards, and we appreciate their performances on the golf course and in the community,” head coach Bill McDonald said. “Matt has played some incredible golf this year and to make the first team in the most competitive conference in the country says a lot about the level of golf he’s played.”

NeSmith is now a three-time All-SEC selection, including First Team honors in each of the past two seasons. The North Augusta, S.C., native leads the Gamecocks and ranks 10th in the league with a 71.27 stroke average this season, and his career 71.67 average is the best in Carolina history. The senior won medalist honors at the Palmetto Intercollegiate and General Hackler Championship this season and was a semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award.

Gramley volunteered over 65 hours of his time during the 2015-16 athletic season. He served as an assistant boys basketball coach at Kennedy Catholic Middle School in Hermitage, Pa., and he also gave time with Build a Bike’s holiday distribution, Forest Acres Fabrics and the Tunnel to Towers Run.

Notable

NeSmith is the sixth Gamecock to earn three All-SEC awards, joining George Bryan IV (2008-10), Eric Ecker (1998-2000), Eirik Johansen (2003-04, 06), David Seawell (1994-96) and Kyle Thompson (1998-2001).
Two additional Gamecocks have achieved three all-conference awards: Carl Paulson (1991 All-Metro Conference, 1992-93 All-SEC) and Brett Quigley (1989-91 All-Metro Conference).

Up Next for the Gamecocks

Ranked 17th in the nation according to Golfstat, the Gamecocks will learn their NCAA Regional destination on Thursday at 9:30 a.m., when postseason selections are revealed live on Golf Channel. The 2016 NCAA Regionals will be held in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Marana, Ariz., Kohler, Wis., Albuquerque, N.M., Stillwater, Okla., and Franklin, Tenn.