OU’s Gellerman, Hirschman Earn All-America Honors
NORMAN, Okla. — University of Oklahoma men’s golfers Michael Gellerman and Grant Hirschman have been honored as 2015 Division I PING All-Americans, the Golf Coaches Association of America announced Thursday. Gellerman was a third-team selection for his senior season, while Hirschman was named honorable mention as a freshman.
With the selections, OU now has 52 All-Americans in program history. Gellerman and Hirschman are the third and fourth Sooners to earn the recognition under sixth-year OU head coach Ryan Hybl, joining Will Kropp (honorable mention, 2012) and Abraham Ancer (honorable mention, 2011). This marks the first time OU has had two selections in one season since 2004 (Carlos Del Moral and Anthony Kim).
“To become an All-American means that you have had a great year and you stand out from the rest,” Hybl said. “Michael had a fantastic year and deserves this honor. Grant is only a freshman and to make All-American your first year is a huge accomplishment. I am proud of our guys.”
In his senior campaign, Gellerman led the team with a career-best 72.15 (+0.80) scoring average and three top-five finishes, eight top-10 showings and 11 top-20 finishes in 13 team events. The Sterling, Kan., native finished in a season-best tie for second place at the NCAA San Diego Regional with a three-round 208 (-8) to help the Sooners to a 20-stroke victory.
Hirschman put together an impressive freshman season, finishing within the top five once, top 10 five times and the top 20 a total of nine times. Hirschman, who is from Collierville, Tenn., played in all 13 team events and posted a scoring average of 72.75 (+1.40), second best on the squad. He placed in a career-best tie for first place at the Liberty Spring Invitational by shooting a three-round 213 (-3).
“This was a goal I was working for all year, and despite some rough tournaments, I just kept working,” Hirschman said. “This is a huge accomplishment for me and it’s a great reward for all of the hard work I put in this year.”
Both Gellerman and Hirschman were also named to the 10-member All-Big 12 Team and to the Division I PING All-Central Region Team this season.