HANCEVILLE – Wallace State’s Sylas Elliott continues to prove he’s among the elite golfers in the nation.
Elliott was one of five golfers in the nation named a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) PING 1st-team All-American on Tuesday night, hours before Wallace State teed off in the NJCAA Men’s National Championship at the Duran Golf Club in Melbourne, Florida.
Elliott has racked up wins and accolades throughout his sophomore season with the Lions. A year after being named a NJCAA 2nd-team All-American, the Cullman product was named a 2016 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year semifinalist less than two weeks ago, becoming one of only 30 players to earn the distinction across the country.
In April, Elliott won the ACCC/Region 22 individual title for the second season in a row, and he was a two-time champion of the Wallace State’s Fall Invitational each September.
Elliott, who has signed to play next season at South Alabama, finished 10th individually in the nation last season, and he’ll look to make a bigger splash this go-around as the Lions begin national championship action today.
Wallace State is making its 21st national tournament appearance this week. The Lions are two years removed from a national runner-up finish, the third under coach Dan York.
Wallace State sophomore Eli Marty also earned NJCAA recognition on Tuesday, being named a PING honorable mention All-American selection.
As Wallace State enters the national championships, Marty, a Good Hope graduate, is coming off a low medalist title at the NJCAA District 4 Championship on April 26. He was also named to the All-Tournament team at the conference tournament.
Marty, a NJCAA third-team All-American as a freshman, has signed to play next season with Montevallo.
Additionally, Elliott, Marty and Wallace State freshman Trey Hanvey were each named to the NJCAA Division I PING District IV team.
Hanvey is a freshman from Fairview.
Meanwhile, York was named one of six finalists for the 2016 NJCAA Division I Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award.
York, who has led the Wallace State program since 1987, was named the 2016 ACCC Coach of the Year last month and has the Lions making their 21st appearance at the national tournament. Wallace State has two tournament championships this season and nine top-5 finishes on the year under York, a NJCAA Hall of Fame coach.
Wallace State men’s golf has three national runner-up finishes under York, including in 2014.
As Wallace State’s men’s golf team opens the four-day national event today, the college’s women’s golf team began action Monday in its inaugural national championships at Daytona Beach, Fla.
Wallace State softball
Wallace State softball begins its quest for a third national title Wednesday night in St. George, Utah. The Lady Lions are the 11th seed in the 2016 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I national championships and play 6th-seeded McLennan (Texas) Community College at 8:30 Central time.
Wallace State softball is making its second consecutive appearance at the national championships and 10th overall. The Lady Lions have won a pair of NJCAA Division I titles (2008, 2013), finished national runner-up in 2009 and 2010 and third in 2012.
Wallace State (48-20) punched its ticket to the national tournament on May 2 after completing a perfect four-game run in the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC)/Region 22 tournament. The Lady Lions have won 42 of their last 49 games.
Sophomore pitcher Julia Dailey was named the tournament MVP at the conference tournament for Wallace State. Molli Garcia, Taylor Beshears and Sarah Ellen Battles were also named all-tournament selections in Alabaster, and interim coach Jeff Benson was named the 2016 ACCC Coach of the Year.
Beshears, the ACCC North Division Player of the Year, is hitting a team-high .460 with 13 homers and a school-record 83 RBIs for Wallace State. Garcia is hitting .391 with 15 homers and 46 RBIs, and Katie Parr has a .344 average with 14 homers and 45 RBIs.
On the mound, Dailey is 10-0 with a 1.52 ERA in 64 1/3 innings after not earning a starting nod for Wallace State until mid-season.
Freshman Brittany Ledbetter has a 19-5 record with a 3.23 ERA, registering a team-high 136 strikeouts.
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit http://athletics.wallacestate.edu/.
