SwingU, the golf technology and media company, announced today the seven divisional winners of the SwingU College Player of the Month Award for March 2024 in partnership with the Golf Coaches Association of America.
Luke Clanton of Florida State (Division I), Drew Coble of Grand Valley State (Division II), Brandon Jones of Fayetteville State (HBCU), Avery Stansell of Rhodes (Division III), Kolby Shackelford of OUAZ (NAIA), Nick Miller of Eastern Florida State (NJCAA Division I), and Dillon Dean of South Mountain (NJCAA Division II) are the March 2024 SwingU College Player of the Month recipients as announced in partnership by SwingU and the Golf Coaches Association of America.
Clanton began March ranked 62nd in the NCAA Division I National Rankings but catapulted to fourth with back-to-back victories in high-profile tournaments. After finishing T23 (70-70-75, +2) with seven birdies at the Cabo Collegiate on March 5, the sophomore from Hialeah, Fla., converted a birdie putt on his final hole to win the Seminole Intercollegiate by one stroke on March 12 (70-65-70, -11), recording 14 birdies and one eagle in the process. Two weeks later at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational, Clanton used 18 birdies, including eight during his final round, and one eagle to win by five strokes at 14-under (65-68-66), leading the Seminoles to their four-stroke team victory. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) named Clanton their Golfer of the Month on April 3.
Coble won or finished inside the top 10 in all four March events for the Lakers. The senior from Lake Orion, Mich., birdied his final hole, one of his 17 birdies on the tournament, to win the Lander Bearcat Classic on March 5 at 13-under (67-69-67). Grand Valley State recorded their lowest 54-hole score in program history (828, -36) and the team victory. After claiming 1Up and 4Up wins in medal match play against top-ranked North Georgia on March 8, Coble used 14 birdies, including five in his back nine during the first round, and one eagle for an 11-under 205 (67-70-68) at the Ralph Hargett Memorial Invitational, setting the tournament record for lowest final score on March 19. Coble earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Golfer of the Week recognition on March 13 and March 20. After nine more birdies and an even-par 216 (69-70-77), Coble concluded the month by finishing T8 at the Tennessee River Rumble on March 26.
Jones’ March began with a ninth-place finish at the Ram Shootout at the Pines on March 5 after recording a seven-over 149 (73-76) and five birdies. Following his six birdies, one eagle, and two-over 218 (73-73-72) at the Ralph Hargett Memorial Invitational that was good for a T15 finish, the redshirt senior from Sanford, NC, carded his first collegiate victory at the CIAA Southern Division Tournament on March 26 with nine birdies and a four-over 214 (74-67-73).
Stansell used a monumental March to jump from 276th to 16th in the NCAA Division III National Rankings. The senior co-captain from Homewood, Ala., recorded seven birdies, including four in his second-round front nine and three in his final four holes in regulation, a two-under 142 (75-67), and a seven-foot birdie on the first playoff hole to win the Tiger Invite on March 11, his first tournament victory as a Lynx. In a 150-player field that included 15 of the top 25-ranked teams in NCAA Division III the following week, Stansell carded 11 birdies and a four-under 209 (69-71-69) to win the Jekyll Island Collegiate by two strokes. The Southern Athletic Association (SAA) awarded Stansell with Athlete of the Week honors on March 18 and March 25.
Shackelford finished inside the top 15 in all three March tournaments for the Spirit. The junior from Panora, Iowa, who also received this award in April 2023 while at Kirkwood (NJCAA DII), recorded a seven-over 223 (71-76-76), nine birdies, and one eagle to finish T15 at the RMC Intercollegiate at Lake Las Vegas on March 6. Shackelford then used one eagle and nine birdies, including the tournament-clinching one on his 54th hole, to win the OUAZ Shootout at Sundance two weeks later with a three-under 141 (73-68), leading the Spirit to their four-stroke team victory. Against a field of NAIA National Championship contenders at The Battle at Laughlin, Shackelford carded a four-under 212 (67-77-68) and 15 birdies, including seven in his first 16 holes of the tournament, for the fourth-place finish on March 26. The Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) named him Golfer of the Month on April 3.
Miller used 11 birdies, including five in the final round, and a four-under 213 for a one-stroke victory at the Glenlakes Invitational on March 12. The victory was the first of the season for the sophomore from Orlando, Fla. In their match against Hamilton of NCAA Division III, Miller helped the Titans halve the Continentals 4.5-4.5.
Dean claimed victory in both March tournaments for the Cougars. The freshman from Scottsdale, Ariz., began the month with eight birdies and a three-under 141 (70-71) for a four-stroke victory at the Mountain Lion Spring Invitational on March 9, leading South Mountain to the 22-shot team win. The month concluded with Dean recording seven birdies, one eagle, and a three-under 139 (70-69) to be one of the four co-medalists at the Gauchos Spring Shootout Invitational on March 18, leading the Cougars to their eight-stroke victory.
The SwingU College Player of the Month is awarded to players from seven divisions – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, HBCU, NCAA Division III, NAIA, NJCAA Division I, and NJCAA Division II – based on a voting committee made up of coaches from their respective divisions. For more information on the award, please visit www.swingu.com/potm.
PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS
February 2024
NCAA Division I: Ian Gilligan, Florida
NCAA Division II: Mike Hay, Nova Southeastern
HBCU: Marcus Taylor, Florida A&M
NCAA Division III: Tobey Wills, Texas Lutheran
NAIA: Isac Wallin, Keiser
NJCAA Division I: Gunnar Green, Central Alabama
NJCAA Division II: Andrew Zielinski, Mississippi Gulf Coast
Fall 2023
NCAA Division I: Christo Lamprecht, Georgia Tech
NCAA Division II: Sangha Park, UT Permian Basin
HBCU: Gonzalo Moreno, Alabama State
NCAA Division III: Jackson Klutznick, Emory
NAIA: Tom Scullion, Cumberland (TN)
NJCAA Division I: Gaspar Glaudas, Indian Hills
NJCAA Division II: Will Burnham, Mississippi Gulf Coast
October 2023
NCAA Division I: Omar Morales, UCLA
NCAA Division II: Sam Tandy, Harding
HBCU: Gonzalo Moreno, Alabama State
NCAA Division III: Cameron Cappuzzo, Methodist
NAIA: Tom Scullion, Cumberland (TN)
NJCAA Division I: Gaspar Glaudas, Indian Hills
NJCAA Division II: Will Thompson, East Central
September 2023
NCAA Division I: Christo Lamprecht, Georgia Tech
NCAA Division II: Sangha Park, UT Permian Basin
HBCU: Micah Stangebye, Kentucky State
NCAA Division III: Jackson Klutznick, Emory
NAIA: Jack Whaley, Dalton State
NJCAA Division I: Oscar Holm Bredkjaer, Midland
NJCAA Division II: Lucas Park, Parkland
April 2023
NCAA Division I: Caleb Surratt, Tennessee
NCAA Division II: Charles DeLong, Grand Valley State
HBCU: Patrick Mwendapole, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
NCAA Division III: J.F. Aber, Wittenberg
NAIA: Jakob Stavang Stubhaug, Keiser
NJCAA Division I: Gaspar Glaudas, Indian Hills
NJCAA Division II: Kolby Shackelford, Kirkwood
March 2023
NCAA Division I: Ben Carr, Georgia Southern
NCAA Division II: Beck Burnette, Lee
HBCU: Caden Hodges, Fayetteville State
NCAA Division III: Alex Price, Christopher Newport
NAIA: Kade Cannon, St. Thomas (FL)
NJCAA Division I: Matthis Lefèvre, New Mexico JC
NJCAA Division II: Chase Kaiser, Mississippi Gulf Coast
February 2023
NCAA Division I: Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt
NCAA Division II: Reece Coleman, Anderson (SC)
HBCU: Gregory Odom Jr., Howard
NCAA Division III: Vikram Chatterjee, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
NAIA: Isac Wallin, Keiser
NJCAA Division I: Matthis Lefèvre, New Mexico JC
NJCAA Division II: Chase Kaiser, Mississippi Gulf Coast
About SwingU
Headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, SwingU is a sports technology and media company focused on golf game improvement. The company owns and operates the top-rated golf game-improvement app across GPS, scorecard, statistics and instruction. SwingU Clubhouse publishes an email newsletter reaching hundreds of thousands of golfers daily. Lastly, SwingU Coach offers the ultimate coaching & statistics platform for both golf teams and academies. For more company information, please visit www.swingu.com.
About Golf Coaches Association of America
Established in 1958, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) is the professional organization of men’s collegiate golf coaches. The GCAA’s mission is to support its member coaches from six divisions, including the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA, by creating educational opportunities, providing resources, and promoting its members with the purpose of enhancing their overall performance as coaches, mentors, and teachers. The GCAA also recognizes the excellence and achievements of its members and their student-athletes in academic, athletic, and civic endeavors.
