University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Bears Sweep Big Sky Individual Awards
4/24/2024 10:49:00 AM | Men's Golf
FARMINGTON, Utah – Gage Messingham, Pietro Boeris and Antti Vahvaselka collected All-Big Sky Conference honors, the league office announced Tuesday.
The Bears swept the individual awards with Messingham earning Big Sky Conference Player of the Year and Pietro Boeris garnering Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year.
Messingham added an All-Big Sky Conference First Team Selection, while Boeris and Vahvaselka earned All-Big Sky Conference Honorable Mention accolades.
"Proud of our guys," Clayton Sikorski, UNC Director of Golf, said. "Gage has been phenomenal this spring and has worked his way to be Player of the Year in our conference. He was pushed all year by Pietro who garnered Freshman of the year. Cool to see Antti make the jump from D3 to be an all-conference selection as well. The guys work really hard so everything is well deserved."
Messingham, a freshman from Ralston Valley High School in Arvada, Colorado, posted a 72.15 stroke average over 26 rounds in his rookie campaign. Messingham became the second-consecutive Bear named Big Sky Conference Player of the Year and fourth overall. Jack Castiglia claimed the award last season, while Josh Matz went back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.
Boeris, a native of Pinerolo, Italy, became the second player in program history to be named Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year, with a 72.69 stroke average. He joined Coby Welch to collect the honor, with Welch collecting the hardware in 2017.
Vahvaselka, a native from Helsinki, Finland, averaged 73.65 strokes per round. The transfer from Averett – a NCAA Division III school - tallied eight rounds at par or lower during his first campaign with the Bears. He posted a season low 68 twice, with the first in the opening round of the Mark Simpson CU Invitational. He shot 68 in the second round of the Wyoming Cowboy Classic. He finished fourth at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational – hosted by Air Force - his first event as a Bear.
The Bears swept the individual awards with Messingham earning Big Sky Conference Player of the Year and Pietro Boeris garnering Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year.
Messingham added an All-Big Sky Conference First Team Selection, while Boeris and Vahvaselka earned All-Big Sky Conference Honorable Mention accolades.
"Proud of our guys," Clayton Sikorski, UNC Director of Golf, said. "Gage has been phenomenal this spring and has worked his way to be Player of the Year in our conference. He was pushed all year by Pietro who garnered Freshman of the year. Cool to see Antti make the jump from D3 to be an all-conference selection as well. The guys work really hard so everything is well deserved."
Messingham, a freshman from Ralston Valley High School in Arvada, Colorado, posted a 72.15 stroke average over 26 rounds in his rookie campaign. Messingham became the second-consecutive Bear named Big Sky Conference Player of the Year and fourth overall. Jack Castiglia claimed the award last season, while Josh Matz went back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.
Boeris, a native of Pinerolo, Italy, became the second player in program history to be named Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year, with a 72.69 stroke average. He joined Coby Welch to collect the honor, with Welch collecting the hardware in 2017.
Vahvaselka, a native from Helsinki, Finland, averaged 73.65 strokes per round. The transfer from Averett – a NCAA Division III school - tallied eight rounds at par or lower during his first campaign with the Bears. He posted a season low 68 twice, with the first in the opening round of the Mark Simpson CU Invitational. He shot 68 in the second round of the Wyoming Cowboy Classic. He finished fourth at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational – hosted by Air Force - his first event as a Bear.
Players Mentioned
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