BATON ROUGE – Jay Mendell was named to the 2024 Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team, the league office announced on Friday. The awards were voted on by all 14 of the SEC Men’s Golf head coaches.
Mendell is a freshman out of nearby Lafayette, La. who wasted no time establishing himself as an integral part of the Tiger’s lineup. The freshman started in all 11 events for LSU as he earned five top ten finishes.
Mendell finished at the very top of the leaderboard twice this season. He won individual honors at the Hal Williams Collegiate where he finished 10-under 203 to win the first individual tournament of hisd collegiate career. Mendell was 6-under 210 at The Hootie in Bulls Bay where he finished tied for first at the end of stroke play before falling in a playoff.
Other top finishes for Mendell include 1-under 215 in the season opener at the Golfweek Collegiate Kickoff, tied for third at 7-under 209 in October when LSU won the Everett Buick GMC Classic, and tied for seventh at 4-under 212 in his hometown on the course he grew up on at Oakbourne Country Club.
Graduate Connor Gaunt was named to the Community Service Team for Men’s Golf in the SEC having been a leader on the team and in the community. Gaunt has served in several civic and community endeavors during his time at LSU. Those activities include being the team representative for SAAC, an active member with FCA, and participating in various LSU Tiger Life events such as the Halloween BOOZAR, the TAF Thank-A-Thon, The Thankful Tiger Drive and MLK Day of Service.
Gaunt and Mendell will be back in action to lead the Tigers as LSU hosts an NCAA Regional next week at the University Club in Baton Rouge. The three-day stroke play event will begin Monday morning May 13th and run through Wednesday the 15th, play 18 holes each day. Fans are encouraged to come out and support as admission is free.
2024 ALL-SEC HONORS:
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jackson Koivun, Auburn
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Jackson Koivun, Auburn
SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Cole Sherwood, Vanderbilt
Alex Goff, Kentucky
COACH OF THE YEAR
Nick Clinard, Auburn
FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC
Jackson Koivun, Auburn
Michael La Sasso, Ole Miss
Jack Lundin, Missouri
Brendan Valdes, Auburn
Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt
Matthew Riedel, Vanderbilt
Jacob Skov Olesen, Arkansas
Cole Sherwood, Vanderbilt
SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC
Phichaksn Maichon, Texas A&M
Jake Hall, Tennessee
Bryce Lewis, Tennessee
Alex Goff, Kentucky
Ian Gilligan, Florida
J.M. Butler, Auburn
Jackson Van Paris, Vanderbilt
Ben van Wyk, Georgia
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Jackson Koivun, Auburn
Jack Turner, Florida
Josiah Gilbert, Auburn
Camden Smith, Georgia
Jay Mendell, LSU
Thomas Curry, Arkansas
Bruce Murphy, Tennessee
COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM
Thomas Ponder, Alabama
Kaelen Dulany, Arkansas
Ryan Eshleman, Auburn
Rylan Shim, Florida
Caleb Manuel, Georgia
Tanner Parks, Kentucky
Connor Gaunt, LSU
Tom Fischer, Ole Miss
Jack Lundin, Missouri
Rafe Reynolds, South Carolina
Vishnu Sadagopan, Texas A&M
Jackson Van Paris, Vanderbilt