May 31, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After tying for seventh at the NCAA Men's Golf Championship Thursday, UCF's Blayne Barber (Lake City, Fla.) has earned a spot on the Golf Coaches Association of America All-Freshman Team. Barber was one of five golfers nationally named to the squad.
In 2008-09, Barber helped the Knights record one of the top campaigns in school history. Thanks to Barber's showing, UCF tied for 10th out of 30 teams at the NCAA Championship last week in Toledo, Ohio. He completed the event at 1-under 212.
The Conference USA Golfer and Freshman of the Year, Barber competed in 12 events for head coach Nick Clinard, recording nine top-10 finishes. He finished the season by placing in the top-10 in eight-consecutive events.
At the NCAA Regional in Sorrento, Fla., Barber propelled the Knights to the title in mid-May, finishing third at 11-under 202. In the final round, he carded a school-record 9-under 62. He also finished second in April at the C-USA Championship, which was also held in Sorrento.
In the Knights' second event of the spring, Barber took medalist honors at the Rio Pinar Invitational in February in Orlando. The rookie concluded the tournament at 12-under 204.
Barber had 20 rounds of par or better during the season. He paced UCF with a 71.14 stroke average.
In addition to earning the league's golfer and freshman of the year awards, Barber was also named to the All-C-USA First Team and the all-freshman squad.
Barber was joined on the national all-freshman team by Morgan Hoffman of Oklahoma State, Bud Cauley of Alabama, Gregor Main of UCLA and Daniel Miemicki of Oregon.
UCF won four tournaments during the season, including the C-USA title for the first time. The 10th-place showing at the NCAA Championship was the best in school history for the Knights, who were participating in the event for the fourth time.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.