June 23, 2016
SAN DIEGO – San Diego State men's golfers Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) and Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.) each garnered PING Division I All-America accolades for their performances during the 2015-16 campaign as announced Thursday by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
Mendoza was a second-team selection, while Ree received honorable mention, giving the Aztecs two All-Americans in the same season for the first time since J.J. Spaun (third team) and Todd Baek (HM) in 2011.
In addition, Mendoza, a rising senior at San Diego State, earned third-team All-America recognition from Golfweek recently, becoming the second straight Aztec player to collect two All-America certificates in the same year after Xander Schauffele accomplished the feat in 2015.
The reigning Mountain West Men's Golfer of the Year, Mendoza led SDSU at the NCAA Championships in May, tying for 26th on the individual leaderboard after establishing a program record for lowest 72-hole score in a national tournament with a 7-over-par 287, highlighted by an opening-round 67.
Mendoza, who finished the season with a No. 31 national ranking by Golfstat, paced the Aztecs with a 71.18 scoring average and topped the squad with 21 rounds at or below par, including 12 in the 60s. The Francis Parker High alumnus recorded seven top-10 finishes on the year, including four in the top five. A two-time all-conference honoree, Mendoza was named one of 30 semifinalists for the 2016 Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year in April and will compete for the U.S. squad at the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup this weekend in Formby, England.
Ree, meanwhile, ended the year with a No. 53 individual ranking by Golfstat after logged a team-high nine top-10 placements, including five in the top five. The two-time all-conference selection, who completed his collegiate eligibility last month, ranked second on the squad during his senior campaign with a 71.41 stroke average and was SDSU's top finisher in five tournaments, including the Albuquerque Regional, where he placed ninth in regulation and helped the Scarlet and Black secure a spot in NCAA Championships with an eagle on the first playoff hole against Texas A&M.
In addition, Ree finished alone in second at The Prestige at PGA West in February, earning MW Golfer of the Week honors, and became just the fifth Aztec player to break 200 in a 54-hole event after shooting a 14-under 199 at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational last October.
The GCAA recognized 61 of the nation's top men's collegiate golfers overall with 10 selections each on the first, second and third teams, followed by 31 honorable mention recipients. Mendoza and Ree were two of just three golfers representing the Mountain West and SDSU was one 16 schools with multiple honorees.
San Diego State wrapped up another successful season last month, earning a berth in the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in the last six years.
2015-16 PING DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
First Team
Charlie Danielson, Illinois
Sam Horsfield, Florida
Beau Hossler, Texas
Lee McCoy, Georgia
Maverick McNealy, Stanford
Matthew NeSmith, South Carolina
Jon Rahm, Arizona State
Matthas Schwab, Vanderbilt
Robby Shelton, Alabama
Aaron Wise, Oregon
Second Team
Nahum Mendoza III, San Diego State
Thomas Detry, Illinois
Doug Ghim, Texas
Gavin Hall, Texas
Rico Hoey, Southern California
Michael Johnson, Auburn
KK Limbhasut, California
Adrian Meronk, East Tennessee State
Antoine Rozner, UMKC
Zach Wright, LSU
Third Team
Derek Bard, Virginia
Paul Barjon, TCU
Stephen Behr, Clemson
Will Gordon, Vanderbilt
Chase Koepka, South Florida
Tyler McDaniel, Kentucky
Max McGreevy, Oklahoma
Collin Morikawa, California
Greyson Sigg, Georgia
Kristoffer Ventura, Oklahoma State
Honorable Mention
Ryann Ree, San Diego State
Cheslo Barrett, TCU
David Boote, Stanford
Sam Burns, LSU
Ryan Cole, James Madison
Jared du Toit, Arizona State
Luis Gagne, LSU
Franklin Huang, Stanford
Tee-k Kelly, Ohio State
Charles Kim, Arkansas
Hank Lebioda, Florida State
Patrick Martin, Vanderbilt
Dylan Meyer, Illinois
Taylor Moore, Arkansas
Gordon Neale, Florida
Jordan Niebrugge, Oklahoma State
Stratton Nolan, Oklahoma State
John Oda, UNLV
Aksel Olsen, South Florida
Jeremy Paul, Colorado
Corey Pereira, Washington
Michael Perras, Houston
Robin Petersson, Augusta
William Rainey, College of Charleston
Davis Riley, Alabama
Robin Sciot-Siegrist, Louisville
Justin Suh, Southern California
Will Starke, South Carolina
Sepp Straka, Georgia
Lars van Meijel, Memphis
Will Zalatoris, Wake Forest