Men’s Golf Trio Named MVC Scholar-Athletes

Men's Golf 5/3/2019 10:05:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Seniors Drake Bushong and Michael Mounce were both repeat First-Team Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athletes, while fellow senior Daniel Lensing earned honorable mention recognition according to an announcement by the league office Friday.

Bushong joins Coby Thompson (2008-11) and Zach Wanken (2008-10) as the only three-time First-Team MVC Scholar-Athletes in program history, while Mounce is the seventh Bradley men's golfer to earn First-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete recognition twice. The honorable mention Valley Scholar-Athlete recognition for Lensing is the first of his career.

Bradley was one of two teams to have three individuals honored, with Missouri State also boasting two First-Team selections along with an honorable mention recipient. The Braves have had multiple First-Team Valley Scholar-Athletes in each of the last four years and Bradley has produced a league-best 12 First-Team MVC Scholar-Athletes over the last seven seasons.

A marketing (global supply chain management) major with a 3.66 cumulative grade point average, Bushong is the only four-time All-MVC performer in program history and one of just eight in league history. The 2018 MVC medalist, he ranked ninth in the MVC in 2018-19 with a 73.26 stroke average, which is fifth among Bradley season marks.

Bushong finished ninth at the 2019 MVC Championship for his third top-10 finish of the year and 18th of his career. He owned a 73.77 career stroke average during his time on The Hilltop, which is second all-time at Bradley, in addition to owning the school record of sub-80 rounds with 118.

A three-time MVC Golfer of the Week selection during his career, Bushing fired a career-best 67 in the opening round of the Zach Johnson Invitational in the fall, helping Bradley to the team title. Bradley's top finisher in five of nine tournaments in 2018-19, Bushong ranks third in Bradley history in career round played (125) and won four medalist times during his collegiate career.

An entrepreneurship major with a 3.96 cumulative grade point average, Mounce earned the 2017-18 MVC Elite 17 Award and was an all-conference performer as a junior. He ranked third on the team with a 74.00 stroke average in 2018-19, which is 10th among Bradley season marks.

Mounce entered the 2019 MVC Championship with the 13th lowest stroke average in the league. He owned two top-10 finishes and placed in the top 20 in five events, tying for eighth at the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate in Springfield, Mo., for his best showing of the year.

Mounce opened his final season on The Hilltop in historic fashion, matching the lowest round in school history with a first-round 66 at the Golfweek Program Challenge in Myrtle Beach, S.C. During his three years at Bradley, he owned a 75.09 stroke average, which is fourth-best all-time in school history.

Lensing ranked fourth on the team and 21st in the MVC with a 74.48 season stroke average, which is 12th among Bradley season marks. A finance major with a 3.46 cumulative grade point average, Lensing was named MVC Golfer of the Week after winning medalist honors at the Crusader Collegiate, where he tied the fifth-best 54-hole score (211) in school history.

After battling injuries throughout his career, Lensing played in all 27 rounds in 2018-19 after playing a combined 26 rounds between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns. He finished his career 10th in Bradley history with a 75.75 stroke average and closed his time as a Brave with a 73 in the final round of the MVC Championship to move up 13 spots in the final standings on the last day.

The criteria for the MVC scholar-athlete team parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for academic Academic All-America® program. Nominees must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale), while the student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institutions and must have participated in at least 50 percent of her team's rounds or played at the MVC Championship.

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