June 26, 2003

Navy senior Brian Crum (Fairfax, Va.) has been named the Patriot League Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year, announced by the Patriot League office Thursday morning.

Crum, who claimed the 2003 Patriot League individual title April 27, is the first Navy golfer in the league's 13-year history to be awarded the academic award.

A political science major who graduated with a 3.26 grade-point average in May, Crum had a sensational senior campaign, winning three tournament titles including his first-collegiate championship at the Rehoboth Beach Fall Invitational early in the season.

He posted top-three finishes in each of his last-three regular-season tournaments, including victories at the Navy Spring Invitational, as well as at the league championship.

Crum went on to tie for 27th at the NCAA West Regional in Auburn, Wash., producing a 4-over par 220 over 54 holes, the best individual performance by a Mid since 1963 when Tom Flory placed 19th. He finished the year with the team's second-best stroke average, 73.87, with eight top-10 finishes and 10 top-20 marks.

In addition to Crum being named the league's golf scholar-athlete of the year, teammates Billy Hurley and Nick Rogers (Lothian, Md.) earned spots on the Patriot League Golf Academic Honor Roll also announced Tuesday.

Hurley topped the list with his 4.00 GPA in quantitative economics, the only player among the 24 honored to earn a perfect academic rating during the spring semester. A native of Leesburg, Va., Hurley produced Navy's top stroke average of 73.35 and posted nine top-10 finishes and 10 top-10 marks. He placed fifth or better in each of his last-five regular-season tournaments, including second-place finishes at the Navy Spring Invitational, the Rehoboth Beach Spring Invitational and the Patriot League Championship. He tied teammate Brian Crum for 27th at the NCAA West Regional with a 4-over par 220. He also earned Patriot League Golfer-of-the-Month recognition April 1 after producing top-10 finishes in three of the first-four meets in this spring.

Rogers owned a 3.63 GPA in political science in his final semester at the Academy. The local product was Navy's third-best golfer with a 75.94 stroke average. He turned in his best performance when it mattered most, the Patriot League Championship, where he finished third behind teammates Crum and Hurley with a 7-over par 223. His 5-under par 67 at the Georgetown Hoya Invitational tied (Hurley, 5-under par 67 at the Patriot League Championship) for the best individual round of the year both as a gross score, as well as vs. par.

To be eligible for the honor roll, student-athletes must earn a 3.20 GPA in the spring semester and be awarded a varsity letter in one of the 13 league-sponsored sports.