A pair of individuals who have exemplified the Valparaiso University men’s golf program’s commitment to excellence both on the course and in the classroom were recognized by the Missouri Valley Conference on Thursday.

Sophomore Garrett Willis (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Homestead) was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, while sophomore Charlie Toman (Chardon, Ohio / Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) received honorable mention status.

Willis, who owns a 3.37 grade point average in communication, ranked second on the team with a scoring average of 74.10 while participating in all seven events and golfing all 21 rounds. He finished the season with the sixth-best single-season scoring average in program history and with a career average of 74.33 that ranks third all-time.

Willis carded a season-low 69 (-3) in the third round of the Crusader Collegiate on Sept. 17, finishing as part of a three-way tie for runner-up honors with a 54-hole score of 211 (-5) in that event. In the program’s modern history, that score ranked tied for fifth in 54-hole tournament score and tied for fourth in 54-hole tournament score in relation to par.

The sophomore standout took home individual medalist honors at the Zach Johnson Invitational (Sept. 30- Oct. 1) after carding a 215 (+2, 72-73-70) to win the 75-player event. He became the first Valpo golfer since 2017 to win individual medalist honors and joined an elite group that also includes Peter Webb, Zach Cutler, Kyle Henning and Thomas Wettstein as players who have won individual titles since the program relaunched in 2009-10.

Willis was named the MVC Golfer of the Week on Oct. 2 following his medalist honor. As a freshman in 2018-19, he finished as the team leader at the MVC Championship on April 22-23 with a 54-hole score of 220 (+4) to tie for 10th of 45 players. That marked the highest finish in a conference championship by a Valpo freshman since the program resumed in 2009.

In addition to juggling golf and academic responsibilities, Willis serves as the radio play-by-play broadcaster for Valpo men’s basketball home games.

Toman finished third on the team with a season scoring average of 74.92 in 12 rounds spanning four tournaments. He enters his junior season with the best career scoring average in modern program history (minimum 20 rounds and two seasons) at 74.20.

The exercise science major had his best round of the season on Sept. 16 in Round 2 of the Crusader Collegiate, carding a 69 (-3), one of four rounds of par or better that he put together in 2019-20. He completed the Crusader Collegiate with a 211 (-5), part of a three-way tie for runner-up honors. That mark tied for the fifth-best 54-hole tournament score in program history in overall score and fourth-best in relation to par.

Toman, who boasts a 3.34 grade point average, finished second on the team and t-17th/99 overall at the Invitation at Savannah Harbor, contributing to Valpo’s team championship with a 220 (+4, 75-73-72). He led the team in scoring average as a freshman in 2018-19 by bursting onto the scene with a 73.94 over 33 rounds, a mark that ranks fifth in the program’s modern history for single-season scoring average. He was named MVC Golfer of the Week twice during his rookie season.

Golf sports information directors in the conference voted on the team, comprised of 16 total golfers (10 first-teams and six-honorable mention picks). The criteria for the MVC scholar-athlete team parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for its Academic All-America program. Nominees must have at least a 3.30 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 their team’s rounds.

2020 Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Golf Scholar-Athlete Team

FIRST TEAM, School Yr. GPA Major Hometown

Alex Ciaramitaro, Bradley Sr. 3.66 Mechanical Engineering St. Peters, Mo.

Dallas Koth, Evansville So. 3.65 Sports Communications Bloomington, Ill.

Matthew Ladd, Evansville Sr. 3.54 Criminal Justice Evansville, Ind.

Tim Lim, Drake Jr. 3.39 Accounting and Finance Hoffman Estates, Ill.

Lukas McCalla, Missouri State* Sr. 3.94 Finance Topeka, Kan.

David Perkins, Illinois State^ Sr. 3.32 Psychology (Business Admin.) East Peoria, Ill.

Carter Stochl, UNI* Jr. 3.94 Biology & Biochemistry New Hampton, Iowa

Nate Vance, Loyola So. 3.65 Finance Marshalltown, Iowa

Spencer Wagner, Evansville Jr. 3.50 Management Evansville, Ind.

Garrett Willis, Valparaiso So. 3.37 Communication Fort Wayne, Ind.

Honorable Mention Yr. GPA Major Hometown

Tyler Anderson, Loyola Jr. 3.58 Finance Mundelein, Ill.

Tom Cleaton, Southern Illinois So. 3.80 Management Rugby, England

Christopher Obert, Missouri State Jr. 3.59 Finance Springfield, Mo.

Lucas Scherf, Drake So. 3.78 Finance and Accounting Grinnell, Iowa

Charlie Toman, Valparaiso So. 3.34 Exercise Science Chardon, Ohio

Markus Wilhelmsen, Southern Illinois So. 3.88 Management Vante, Norway

*honorable mention selection in 2019

^first-team selection in 2019