By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University senior Andrew Beckler has been named one of five NCAA Division II finalists for the 2021 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award.
The recipient of the award will be announced during The Memorial Tournament scheduled for June 3-6.
Washburn senior golf standout Andrew Beckler has been named a finalist for the Division II Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Award. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
A Washburn Rural product, Beckler joins Dan Bradbury (Lincoln Memorial), Keegan Bronnenberg (Indianapolis), Trevor Norby (Oklahoma Christian) and Alejandro Restrepo (West Florida) as a Division II finalist.
The award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate golfer across NCAA Divisions I, II and III, plus the NAIA and NCJAA, is one of college golf's most esteemed honors.
Beckler is Washburn's first-ever finalist for the Jack Nicklaus Award and there has never been a golfer from the MIAA or NCAA Central Region to win it.
The award was given out to only Division I golfers from 1988-2002 until Divisions II and III were added in 2003. Many notable golfers have won the award, including Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Justin Thomas.
Beckler, the MIAA Player of the Year, turned in a record season for the Ichabods this spring as he claimed five individual titles in 10 competitions and placed in the top-five at the other five events. At the NCAA Golf National Championships, he recorded the highest individual finish in program history, tying for second place out of 84 total golfers.
Beckler finished his career with Washburn's best scoring average with a 72.00 in 67 rounds played and holds the best season scoring average (70.4).
Beckler joined WU's team in 2018 and was named to the all-MIAA team twice and received the conference Men's Golf Athlete of the Week award three times this season.
Beckler has also excelled in the classroom, earning a place on the MIAA Academic Roll three times and being named an MIAA Scholar Athlete twice.
