WCC Rewards Men's Golf With Postseason Awards

MALIBU, California – After winning the West Coast Conference Championships this past weekend, the Pepperdine men's golf team was rewarded with many of the league's top honors, as four Waves made the All-WCC first team, Joe Highsmith was named Freshman of the Year and Michael Beard was awarded WCC Coach of the Year for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season.

Joining Highsmith on the All-WCC first team were Clay Feagler, RJ Manke and Joshua McCarthy.

It's the second time in three years that the Waves have put a WCC-best four players on the all-conference first team, but before 2017, that hadn't happened since 2005.

Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS), a junior, made the All-WCC first team for the third year in a row. He leads Pepperdine with a 70.82 scoring average, currently second on the Waves' single-season records list. He was co-medalist at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate in the fall. He's had five top-10 and seven top-20 finishes this season. He ranks #28 nationally by Golfstat.

Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School) becomes the sixth Wave ever to earn the WCC Freshman of the Year award. He also earned All-WCC first team honors by posting a 72.18 scoring average and three top-10 and six-top 20 finishes this season, including a tie for eighth at the WCC Championships. His scoring average currently ranks #2 on Pepperdine's freshman records list. He ranks #176 nationally by Golfstat.

Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), a sophomore, was the medalist at the WCC Championships, shooting a 6-under 210 and then winning the title via a playoff. He received All-WCC honorable mention last year as a freshman. Manke is third on the team with a 71.87 scoring average. In October, he also won the Alister MacKenzie Invitational and set Pepperdine records for 18 holes (10-under) and 54 holes (21-under). He ranks #152 nationally by Golfweek/Sagarin.

McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS), a junior, is also a three-time All-WCC first team pick. He's second on the squad in scoring average (71.27) and has had a team-best six top-10 finishes along with seven top-20 results, including a tie for sixth place at the WCC Championships. He ranks #74 nationally by Golfweek/Sagarin.

Last year, Beard became the first-ever WCC men's golf coach to win the Coach of the Year award three times in a row. After leading Pepperdine to its second consecutive title and a #16 national ranking, he picked up his fourth honor in his seventh year in charge.

Pepperdine won the WCC title for the 20th time in program history. The NCAA Selection Show is this Wednesday (May 1) at 6 p.m. on the Golf Channel. NCAA Regionals are May 13-15.

WCC Player of the Year: Peter Kuest, BYU

WCC Coach of the Year: Michael Beard, Pepperdine

WCC Freshman of the Year: Joe Highsmith, Pepperdine

All-WCC First Team: Riley Elmes (LMU), Clay Feagler (Pepperdine), Blake Hathcoat (Saint Mary's), Joe Highsmith (Pepperdine), Peter Kuest (BYU), Joshua McCarthy (Pepperdine), Matt McCarty (Santa Clara), RJ Manke (Pepperdine), Rhett Rasmussen (BYU), Tim Widing (San Francisco).

All-WCC Honorable Mention: Soren Lind (San Francisco), Carson Lundell (BYU), Chris Mogg (Gonzaga), Christoffer Palsson (San Francisco), Mike Slesinski (Saint Mary's).

Players Mentioned

Clay Feagler

Joe Highsmith

RJ Manke

Joshua McCarthy

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