ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Junior Zach Wanken (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) was a repeat selection and sophomore Coby Thompson (East Galesburg, Ill./Knoxville) was a first-time recipient as both individuals garnered First-Team Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete honors announced by the league office. Bradley boasted two First-Team Scholar-Athletes for the first time in program history and the duo combined to make up one-third of the six-person squad.
Wanken joined Ryan Blask as the only two-time First-Team Valley Scholar-Athletes in program history, after also earning the distinction last year. Blask earned the honor in 1996-97 and 1997-98. Wanken led the team with a 77.2 stroke average and had a team-best three top-20 finishes. He fired a season-best 69 in the opening round of the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate en route to a season-best 11th place finish.
Bradley's active career leader in top 20 finishes and rounds in the 70's, he was the Braves' top finisher in three of nine events during the season and posted a 74.2 stroke average in the Fall. Wanken was second on the team with 15 rounds in the 70's and tied for 22nd at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship. A chemistry major with a 3.97 cumulative grade point average, Wanken has been named to the Bradley Athletic Director's Honor Roll all five semesters.
Thompson is the Braves active career leader in stroke average and was second on the team this season with a 77.6 stroke average. He led the squad with 20 rounds in the 70's and was the Braves top finisher in two events. In fact, Thompson was one of Bradley's top two performers in eight of nine tournaments in 2008-09.
He shot a career-low 69 in the second round of the John Dallio Memorial and posted the first top 10 finish for a Bradley player in nearly two years when he tied for eighth at the Beu/Mussatto Invitational. Thompson had a 75.5 stroke average this Fall and owns a career average of 77.8 per round. He matched Wanken at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship, tying for 22nd place. A chemistry major with a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average, Thompson has been named to the Bradley Athletic Director's Honor Roll all three semesters.
The Braves anticipate returning their entire 2008-09 roster while adding 2008 Peoria Journal Star Golfer of the Year Travis Kreiter (Brimfield, Ill./Brimfield), who signed a National Letter of Intent in the Fall, for the 2009-10 season.
