GCAA announces a pair of awards as college season remembered

May 27, 2020 | by Brayden Conover of AmateurGolf.com

Jean-Paul Hebert (left) won the Jan Strickland Award (Golfweek photo)

The Mark Laesch award and the Jan Strickland award bring attention to hard workers who are out of the spotlight

The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced the winners of a pair of awards, recognizing those whose hard work and improvement is often overlooked as the spotlight falls on others. The Mark Laesch Award The Mark Laesch Award, presented by GolfStat, is awarded to the collegiate teams from Division I to NJCAA who exhibited the most improvement in adjusted stroke average per round category from the 2018-19 season to the 2019-20 season. "The Mark Laesch Award is a true honor for us at Golfstat," said Brian Laesch, Golfstat President. "It is a tribute to the impact Golfstat Founder and my dad, Mark Laesch, has made on the game of college golf." This year’s recipients are as follows: Division I: San Diego (12.96) Division II: Goldey-Beacom (20.68) Division III: Ferrum (30.44) NAIA: Grand View (11.30) NJCAA Divison I: Eastern Arizona (9.80) NJCAA Division II: Hawkeye (13.42) "To me, seeing the statistical improvement from season to season of these teams honored with this award represents the very foundation and driving force that built Golfstat--all the way back to the start," continued Laesch. "It is a great honor for us, and we want to congratulate all the recipients of the Mark Laesch Award for the 2019 - 2020 season." The Jan Strickland Award The Jan Strickland Award, presented by Taylormade, recognizes the most outstanding assistant men’s golf coach in all of college golf. This year’s recipient is a two-time Strickland Award finalist Jean-Paul Hebert from the University of Texas. Hebert, a three-time All-American selection for the Longhorns in his playing days, is in his sixth full-time season with Texas. Since joining the Longhorns’ coaching staff, Hebert has helped his squads win 19 team titles, including three Big 12 Championships alongside legendary head coach John Fields. "To be named the recipient of the 2020 Jan Strickland Award, among the many qualified coaches out there, is very satisfying and very humbling," Hebert said in a GCAA release. "This award has grown in prestige every year, so to be singled out is an honor that will stick for years to come." A Houston native, Hebert grew up around the game with both his father, Jay Hebert (1960), and uncle Lionel Hebert (1957) winning PGA Championships. Jay also captained the 1971 Ryder Cup team. "Big thanks to TaylorMade Golf and to our Association for their support of this award, and big thanks to Coach Fields for the opportunity, the trust, and for allowing me to be myself on a daily basis," Hebert said.

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