May 24, 2010
San Antonio – St. Mary’s University men’s golfers Matt Vela and Jeff Rein were named PING/NCAA Division II All-South Central Region by Golf Coaches Association of America for their play during the 2009-2010 season. St. Mary’s tied for the most honorees in the region and was one of just three schools to have multiple honorees.
Vela (Jr., San Antonio) earned All-South Central Region honors for the second time in his three years with the Rattlers. He had the best stroke average on the team at 72.8, including a low round of 67. Vela is also the 25th ranked golfer in NCAA Division II in stroke average. He finished in the top 15 in 11 of 12 tournaments and placed in the top five in five tournaments, including first place finishes at the Heartland Conference Tournament and the Spring Break Dual. Vela received All-Heartland Conference for the third straight season. He is the sixth St. Mary’s men’s golfer to win the Heartland Conference individual crown.
Rein (Jr., San Antonio) earned All-South Central Region recognition for the first time. Rein was second on the team with a 73.5 stroke average in 30 rounds. He had six top-10 finishes, including a second place showing at the Heartland Conference Tournament. His seven rounds in the 60s is a team best. He was a second team All-Heartland Conference pick this season, after earning first team honors in 2008-2009.
St. Mary’s finished the 2009-2010 season at the NCAA South Central Region Tournament, placing 12th as a team, while Vela finished seventh, just one stroke away from advancing to the NCAA Championships as an individual. The Rattlers also took second place at the Heartland Conference Championships, their 11th straight top two finish at the event.
St. Mary’s is home to 13 Academic All-Americans and 225 student-athletes who have earned regional or national academic awards.