August 18, 2010
San Antonio – St. Mary’s University men’s golf team continues to match in the classroom what it accomplishes on the course – a difficult feat considering the number of tournament victories the Rattlers post.
Matt Vela (Sr., San Antonio) and Jeff Rein (Sr., San Antonio) recently were named NCAA Division II Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars by Golf Coaches Association of America. The two were among just 55 Division II golfers to earn the national honor.
Vela, an exercise and sport science major, has a 3.32 grade-point average and Rein, a marketing major, has a 3.20 grade-point average.
Vela, a MacArthur graduate, and Rein, a Central Catholic graduate, both were key members of the 2008-2009 men’s golf team that was named Academic National Champions by the GCAA for maintaining a cumulative 3.62 GPA. The team’s high GPA also earned the team a President’s Special Recognition – only one of 12 schools in the nation to receive this honor.
Less than a month away from the new season, which gets underway Sept. 12-14 with a tournament hosted by Abilene Christian, the recent honor reinforces the strong year the two golfers enjoyed last school year.
Earlier this summer, Vela was named PING/NCAA Division II second team All-American by the GCAA for his work during the 2009-2010 campaign. It was the second time he was named All-American, and it also marked the sixth time in eight years that a St. Mary’s men’s golfer earned the honor. Vela posted a team-best 72.8 stroke average.
Vela and Rein also were named PING/NCAA Division II All-South Central Region by GCAA for their play. Rein was second on the team with a 73.5 stroke average.