By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Austin Davis (Sr., Culver City, CA/Culver City HS) from Willamette University has been named as one of nine 2022 NCAA Division III PING First Team All-America selections by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) after tying for 10th place at the 2022 NCAA Men's Golf Championship.
Prior to earning First Team All-America honors, Davis received 2022 First Team All-West Region recognition and was selected as the 2022 Northwest Conference Player of the Year. He helped Willamette tie for 19th place at the 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship after the Bearcats won the NWC overall championship for the third consecutive season (2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22; no title awarded in 2019-20).
The GCAA has not yet announced players chosen for this year's Second Team, Third Team, or Honorable Mention lists on the NCAA Division III PING All-America Team. Willamette's Andrew Kibbee (Sr., Kenmore, WA/Bothell HS) was chosen Third Team All-America in 2020-21.
NCAA Division III PING Third Team All-America
Austin Davis (Sr.) was selected First Team All-America for the first time and was named First Team All-West Region for the third time after also receiving the award in 2018-19 and 2020-21. He tied for 10th place at the 2022 NCAA Division III Golf Championship at 293 (72-73-74-74). He took first place at the NWC Tournament at 142 (72-70) and also earned medalist honors during the NWC Fall Classic at 137 (68-69; won on first playoff hole). He tied for second at the NWC Spring Classic with a score of 146 (76-70). He was chosen NWC Player of the Year for the first time.
This season, he completed in a total of 25 competitive rounds while participating in all 12 tournament entered by Willamette. He achieved a 71.88 unassisted stroke average and shot eight rounds of 70 or lower. He carded 12 rounds at par or better, including 10 rounds below par. He took first place at five tournaments and was second at two tournaments.
Davis placed in the top 40 three times at the NCAA Championships. In addition to tying for 10th place this season, he tied for 24th at the 2019 NCAA Championship and tied for 40th at the 2021 NCAA Championship. Willamette finished 13th in the team standings in 2019 and tied for 11th in 2021, before tying for 19th this spring.
During his four-year career at Willamette, Davis played in 73 rounds and earned a 73.16 career unadjusted stroke average. The low round of his career with the Bearcats was a 67 in the third round of this season's NCAA Division III Fall Preview on Sept. 21, 2021. This season, he also registered one round at 68 and three rounds at 69. He placed in the top 10 at 26 of 32 tournaments in his career, including 18 top 5 finishes. In 2021-22, he recorded top 10 finishes at 11 of 12 tournaments and was in the top 5 a total of seven times.