Army West Point Athletics
Three Golfers Named GCAA PING All-Region
May 31, 2016 | Men's Golf
EUGENE, Ore. – Three Army West Point golfers have been named to the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Northeast All-Region team. Marcus Plunkett, Peter Kim and Dean Sakata join the ranks of 156 players across six regions who were recognized in 2016.
Plunkett, the team's senior captain, earned All-Region honors for the second-straight year. He is one of two Black Knights who represented the team in all 26 rounds this year. The Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., native recorded three top-five finishes including tying for fifth at the Patriot League Championships which helped Army win its first league title since 2011 and advance to NCAA Regionals. Plunkett had the second-lowest scoring average on the team this season (72.35) and tallied a team-leading 16 rounds at even par. He was named to the All-Patriot League first team due to his finish at the championship for the second-consecutive year.
Kim, who hails from Metuchen, N.J., was named to the All-Region team for the second time in his career. He played in 21 rounds this season for the Black Knights and had one top-five and three top-10 finishes. The junior's top-five finish included him placing fourth at the Patriot League Championships as Army's second-best finisher and garnered All-Patriot League first team honors. Kim was the Cadets' top performer at NCAA Regionals and was on the cusp of qualifying for the NCAA Championships after tying for seventh. He averaged 73.48 strokes on the season and had a season-low round of 68.
Sakata, a Diamond Bar, Calif., native was recognized by the GCAA as an All-Region recipient for the second-straight season. The sophomore was one of two Black Knights who represented the team in all 26 rounds this year, which was highlighted by his individual title at the Patriot League Championships to give him Golfer of the Year and All-Patriot League first team distinction. Sakata led the team with a season-low 72.27 stroke average, and recorded a team-low 66. He also recorded two top-five finishes on the year and three in the top-10.
This season, the Black Knights earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional tournament after capturing their 11th Patriot League Title. Army topped the field by 22-strokes with scores of 284-284-282—850 (-2).
The Black Knights won the title in part because of an outstanding individual effort by Sakata, who ran away from the field to claim first place and Golfer of the Year distinction with an 11-under 202, the lowest score in the history of the Patriot League Championship. Sakata shot 66-69-67, and had the best round in the field in both Saturday morning's session and again on Sunday. No other golfer in the field shot under 70 in more than one round.
Northeast:
Cole Berman, Georgetown
Chris Crawford, Drexel
Robert Deng, Harvard
Eric Dietrich, Connecticut
JD Dornes, Penn State
Luke Graboyes, Cornell
Tom Harris, Maryland
Chris Houston, Penn State
Charles Huntzinger, Penn State
Lloyd Jefferson Go, Seton Hall
Peter Kim, Army
David Kocher, Maryland
Brandon Matthews, Temple
Cole Miller, Penn State
Quinn Prchal, Princeton
Marcus Plunkett, Army
Harrison Rhoades, Georgetown
Evan Russell, Hartford
Dean Sakata, Army
Harrison Shih, Columbia
McKinley Slade, Bryant
Ethan Wall, Loyola (Md.)
Billy Walthouse, Rhode Island
Li Wang, Yale
Zach Zaback, Connecticut
For up-to-date information about Army golf, please follow @ArmyWP_Golf on Twitter and Instagram.
Plunkett, the team's senior captain, earned All-Region honors for the second-straight year. He is one of two Black Knights who represented the team in all 26 rounds this year. The Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., native recorded three top-five finishes including tying for fifth at the Patriot League Championships which helped Army win its first league title since 2011 and advance to NCAA Regionals. Plunkett had the second-lowest scoring average on the team this season (72.35) and tallied a team-leading 16 rounds at even par. He was named to the All-Patriot League first team due to his finish at the championship for the second-consecutive year.
Kim, who hails from Metuchen, N.J., was named to the All-Region team for the second time in his career. He played in 21 rounds this season for the Black Knights and had one top-five and three top-10 finishes. The junior's top-five finish included him placing fourth at the Patriot League Championships as Army's second-best finisher and garnered All-Patriot League first team honors. Kim was the Cadets' top performer at NCAA Regionals and was on the cusp of qualifying for the NCAA Championships after tying for seventh. He averaged 73.48 strokes on the season and had a season-low round of 68.
Sakata, a Diamond Bar, Calif., native was recognized by the GCAA as an All-Region recipient for the second-straight season. The sophomore was one of two Black Knights who represented the team in all 26 rounds this year, which was highlighted by his individual title at the Patriot League Championships to give him Golfer of the Year and All-Patriot League first team distinction. Sakata led the team with a season-low 72.27 stroke average, and recorded a team-low 66. He also recorded two top-five finishes on the year and three in the top-10.
This season, the Black Knights earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional tournament after capturing their 11th Patriot League Title. Army topped the field by 22-strokes with scores of 284-284-282—850 (-2).
The Black Knights won the title in part because of an outstanding individual effort by Sakata, who ran away from the field to claim first place and Golfer of the Year distinction with an 11-under 202, the lowest score in the history of the Patriot League Championship. Sakata shot 66-69-67, and had the best round in the field in both Saturday morning's session and again on Sunday. No other golfer in the field shot under 70 in more than one round.
Northeast:
Cole Berman, Georgetown
Chris Crawford, Drexel
Robert Deng, Harvard
Eric Dietrich, Connecticut
JD Dornes, Penn State
Luke Graboyes, Cornell
Tom Harris, Maryland
Chris Houston, Penn State
Charles Huntzinger, Penn State
Lloyd Jefferson Go, Seton Hall
Peter Kim, Army
David Kocher, Maryland
Brandon Matthews, Temple
Cole Miller, Penn State
Quinn Prchal, Princeton
Marcus Plunkett, Army
Harrison Rhoades, Georgetown
Evan Russell, Hartford
Dean Sakata, Army
Harrison Shih, Columbia
McKinley Slade, Bryant
Ethan Wall, Loyola (Md.)
Billy Walthouse, Rhode Island
Li Wang, Yale
Zach Zaback, Connecticut
For up-to-date information about Army golf, please follow @ArmyWP_Golf on Twitter and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
Army vs. Temple Game Highlights
Saturday, November 08
Army West Point Rugby vs Penn State University (7-NOV-25)
Saturday, November 08
This Week in Army Football: Temple
Tuesday, November 04
Army at Air Force Game Highlights
Saturday, November 01