July 17, 2008
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Chris Renninger (Darnestown, Md.), the 2007 and '08 Patriot League Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was one of six Midshipmen who were recently named to the 2008 Patriot League Golf Academic Honor Roll.
To be eligible for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must be a varsity letterwinner, while maintaining a 3.20 grade-point average during the spring semester. Student-athletes representing all four classes are eligible for the award.
The 2008 Patriot League Golf Academic Honor Roll acknowledged 38 golfers from around the league, including Renninger who was one of four student-athletes to finish the semester with a 4.00 GPA. The other three selections who topped the GPA list included teammates Chip Hardie (Arnold, Md.) and Ryan Sload (Lancaster, Pa.), along with Lafayette's Andrew Carlins.
Renninger, a two-time Academic All-American, graduated in May with a degree in chemistry. Boasting a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average, he was ranked No. 1 in academic order of merit and fifth overall among his class of more than 1,000 students. The 2008 ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-American appeared on the Commandant's List seven times, including six straight semesters, garnered Dean's List mention four times and was on the Superintendent's List four times.
A three-time member of the honor roll, Renninger also capped a stellar career on the course with a strong senior season in which he led the Mids to their first NCAA Regional appearance since 2003. Having played in all 11 tournaments, he owned Navy's third-lowest scoring average with a 77.2. His top event was a seventh-place finish out of 86 golfers at the Scotty Duncan Memorial last October.
Both Hardie and Sload made their second appearance on the league's honor roll. Hardie, a rising senior, produced a 4.00 GPA?in ocean engineering. He has been named to the Commandant's List three times and the Dean's List twice. He took part in four events last season where he posted a 77.0 stroke average. He turned in his lone top-10 finish in the season opener where he tied for 10th at the Navy Fall Invitational with a 4-over par 146.
Like Hardie, Sload's top performance of the season was at the Navy Fall Invitational where he, too, placed 10th with a 146 (+4). On the year he competed in seven of the 11 tournaments where he owned a 78.8 stroke average. Sload's accomplishments off the field were equally as impressive, graduating with a 3.72 cumulative GPA in chemistry which featured a flawless 4.00 in his final semester. A two-time Commandant's List selection, Sload was named to the Dean's List three times, including both semesters of his senior campaign.
Rising seniors David Miller (Chillicothe, Ohio) and Ryan Wielgus (Bethesda, Md.) each made their third appearance on the league's honor roll. Miller finished the spring semester with a 3.67 GPA in quantitative economics and for the sixth consecutive semester was named to the Commandant's List. He also made his fourth appearance on the Superintendent's List as he is ranked 103rd among his class of 1,073 students. On the links, Miller was instrumental in leading the Mids to their fifth Patriot League team title. The three-year letterwinner placed fifth at the conference championship to garner All-Patriot League kudos for the first time in his career. He finished the season with a 78.0 stroke average over the course of 21.5 rounds.
Wielgus missed a good chunk of the spring season battling a hand injury, but returned in time for Navy's spring tournament where he placed 14th and followed up with a 12th-place performance at the league tournament. On the year, he posted a 77.3 stroke average. Turning to the classroom, Wielgus flourished, posting a 3.58 GPA?in economics. He has been named to the Superintendent's List in each of the last four semesters, while making sixth consecutive appearances on the Commandant's List. Wielgus is ranked 20th in the Class of 2009 in military order of merit and 98th overall (academic and military).
The final Midshipman named to the list was newcomer Josh Ziska (Camarillo, Calif.), who finished the spring semester with a 3.56 GPA in political science. He was named to the Superintendent's List for his efforts, while also making his way onto the Commandant's List in each of his first two semesters. Ziska produced a 78.8 stroke average for the year, but made an early splash by spearheading Navy's win over arch rival Army in the annual Star Match played in Annapolis last fall. He paired up with senior Erich Schoen (Sylvania, Ohio) to win the doubles point on the first day before giving Navy its first of five singles wins on the final day in a 6.5 - 4.5 win over the Black Knights.
### Go Navy ###
