Aug. 1, 2008

MILWAUKEE -- It's been a busy week for the Golden Eagles men's golf program, on and off the links. Mike Van Sickle took home another trophy by winning the Pennsylvania state Amateur Championship; two Marquette players have been named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team; and the 2008-09 schedule has been announced.

VAN SICKLE WINS PENNSYLVANIA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Mike Van Sickle, a senior to-be at Marquette University, captured the Pennsylvania state Amateur Championship on Wednesday with a low-round of 68 to finish at two-under-par 211 at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa.

"I knew I was going to have to shoot something under par and play solid golf," said Van Sickle who also had the low round on Tuesday (69) to come from five strokes back following a three-over-par debut (74) in Monday's opening round.

Van Sickle, a Wexford, Pa. native, has also won the state's Open Championship and is currently in possession of the Pennsylvania Golf Association's two major trophies.

"It's really cool to have won the Open and the State Amateur, consecutively," he said. "The competition in Pennsylvania and this tournament is really good. Just that fact alone makes this win very special."

Read more about Van Sickle's performance at the Amateur Championship here.

PAIR OF MU GOLFERS NAMED BIG EAST ACADEMIC ALL-STARS
Chris Streff and Mike Van Sickle represented the Marquette men's golf program on the 2007-08 BIG EAST All-Academic Team, announced by the league Thursday.

To be eligible for the honor, a nominee must have competed in a BIG EAST-sponsored sport, earned a varsity letter, attained a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 for the preceding academic year, and completed a minimum of two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters of academic work, with a total of 18 semester or 27 quarter credits, not including remedial courses.

2008-09 MEN'S GOLF SCHEDULE SET
Marquette head men's golf coach Tim Grogan has announced the 2008-09 schedule. The Golden Eagles will begin their fall season at the Gopher Invitational, hosted by Minnesota, Sept. 12-14.

"This year's schedule represents great competition against many of the top golf programs in the country with a majority of the teams having participated in the last year's NCAA Championships," said Grogan, whose Golden Eagles were among the NCAA participants after winning the school's first BIG EAST title last April.

"It also represents an opportunity to compete at many of the country's top golf facilities, and very good spacing of dates allows our players to compete successfully in the classroom and on the course."

Marquette will play in a number of events and a variety of golf courses they've competed at in the past, in addition to a few new tournaments, before they head to the BIG EAST Championship, April 18-21, 2009, in Dade City, Fla.

Here is a short capsule of this year's events:

Sept. 12-14, 2008
Gopher Invitational, hosted by Minnesota
Wayzata, Minn. (Spring Hill G.C.)

Sept. 29-30, 2008
Cardinal Classic, hosted by Louisville
Louisville, Ky. (Cardinal Club)

Oct. 5-6, 2008
Windon Memorial Classic, hosted by Northwestern
Glencoe, Ill. (Lake Shore C.C.)

Oct. 13-14, 2008
Xavier Invitational
Loveland, Ohio (Oasis G.C.)

Nov. 3-5, 2008
Pacific Invitational
Stockton, Calif. (Brookside C.C.)

March 6-8, 2009
Ron Smith/USF Invitational
Dade City, Fla. (Lake Jovita C.C.)

March 15-17, 2009
Pinehurst Intercollegiate
Pinehurst, N.C. (Centennial No. 8 Course)

March 27-29, 2009
Spring Break Championship, hosted by Northwestern
Del Ray Beach, Fla. (Gleneagles C.C.)

April 13-14, 2009
Palisades Collegiate, hosted by Charlotte
Charlotte, N.C. (Palisades C.C.)

April 18-21, 2009
BIG EAST Championship, hosted by USF
Dade City, Fla. (Lake Jovita C.C.)