ORLANDO – After turning in strong regular seasons and helping the Knights to a fourth-place finish at the conference championship, UCF's Luis Carrera and Johnny Travale have been named to the American Athletic Men's Golf All-Conference Team, the league announced on Tuesday.
Carrera was one of just seven unanimous selections, with each of the league's nine head coaches listing the fifth-year Knight on his ballot. Travale claimed all-conference honors for the third straight year and is one of only two golfers on the all-conference team to achieve the recognition in three consecutive years.
UCF has had a unanimous selection in four consecutive seasons and five of the last six years.
"We're extremely excited to have Luis and Johnny selected to the all-conference team," said UCF head coach Bryce Wallor. "For Luis to be a unanimous selection says a lot about the hard work that he's put in over the last 12 months. Johnny has been an all-conference selection each year he has been a part of our program. These recognitions show how highly respected both players are among the league's head coaches."
Carrera leads the Knights with a 71.30 scoring average and has finished among the top 15 in six tournaments this season. He opened the season by winning the individual title at the Hartford Hawks Invitational with a 16-under-par 200, which tied the program record for the lowest 54-hole score by an individual.
The Mexico City, Mexico, native tallied 16 rounds under par for the season, headlined by a 63 (-9) in the second round of the Hartford Hawks Invitational to tie the program record.
Travale owns a 71.36 scoring average and has finished among the top 12 in five tournaments. He carded his best finish of the season at the Hartford Hawks Invitational, tying for second with an 11-under-par 205. Travale also recorded a top-five finish at the prestigious Blessings Intercollegiate with a 54-hole score of 214 (-2).
Hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Travale becomes the third UCF golfer to claim three consecutive American Athletic All-Conference honors joining Bobby Bai and Manuel Elvira.
UCF will now await the NCAA Selection Show on Wednesday, May 3, at 1 p.m. on Golf Channel to learn if the Knights will be selected as a team or if any individuals will participate.
The full list of AAC Men's Golf awards can be found below:
2023 American Athletic Conference Men's Golf Awards
Golf Player of the Year
Santiago De La Fuente, Jr., Houston
Freshman of the Year
Ryan Ford, Cincinnati
Coach of the Year
Doug Martin, Cincinnati
All-Conference Team
Luis Carrera, Sr., UCF*
Johnny Travale, Sr., UCF
Lucas Augustsson, Fr., East Carolina
Sam Jean, Sr., Cincinnati*
Ty Gingerich, Jr., Cincinnati*
Ryan Ford, Fr., Cincinnati
Santiago De La Fuente, Jr., Houston*
Wolfgang Glawe, So., Houston*
Austyn Reily, Sr., Houston*
Esteban Vazquez, Jr., Memphis
Shubham Jaglan, So., South Florida
Jake Peacock, So., South Florida
Nathan Petronzio, Jr., SMU*
William Sides, Fr., SMU
Ethan Whitney, So., Temple
Blake Lorenz, Jr., Wichita State
*denotes unanimous selection
