NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State head golf coaches Ray Kralis and Breanne Hall have announced the student-athletes that were chosen as the recipients for prestigious endowed scholarships, and this year, five deserving and outstanding student-athletes were selected for these honors.
The 2020-21 winners of the five endowed scholarships dedicated to golf include seniors Tatum King, Emma Sutton, Dave Perkins, and Andrew O'Brien, in addition to sophomore Felix van Dijk.
"We are forever grateful for those who have made such a key foundational impact on our program," said ISU head coach Ray Kralis. "These Redbird Golf endowments recognize golfing excellence, overall impact to the program, and game-changing contributions; Andrew, Felix, and David are very worthy recipients of these three prestigious scholarships."
"Both Tatum and Emma are very strong on the golf course, but just as good off the course," said ISU head coach Breanne Hall. "Those two set an example of what we want our younger players to look up to. I'm excited to see these two honored with this pair of prestigious endowed scholarships and gives evidence that they work equally as hard in the classroom as they do on the golf course."
Durwood L. Boone Endowed Scholarship Recipient // Andrew O'Brien, senior, Clive, Iowa
O'Brien finished last season with the fifth-best scoring average on the squad at 74.5 strokes per round. In six rounds of the season, he had two rounds at or under par, including a 71 in the second round at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate, and an even-par 72 in the second round of the Golfweek Conference Challenge.
This scholarship was established with an initial grant from the estate of the late L. Durwood Boone, whose playing skills inspired the start of the Redbird golf program in the 1930s. It was awarded to a Redbird golfer for the first time in 1995.
Helen Cushman Endowed Scholarship Recipient // Tatum King, senior, Lexana, Kansas
King finished last season with a scoring average of 77.9 on the year over 19 rounds, a fraction of a stroke away from the second-best average on the team. She saved her best for what eventually was the last tournament of the year as her even-par 72 in the first round of the LadyCat Invitational was a career-low for the senior.
In January 1995 the Helen Cushman Endowed Scholarship Fund was established with a donation from Nina Chesebro and the late Pat Chesebro to benefit Illinois State's intercollegiate women's golf program and to honor their close friend, Helen Cushman. The pair decided to establish the fund prior to Pat Chesebro's death in appreciation to Cushman, who had introduced them to the game of golf.
James and Carole Mounier Endowed Scholarship Recipients // Felix van Dijk, sophomore, Tilburg, Holland // Emma Sutton, senior, Adelaide, South Australia
A newcomer last season, van Dijk closed his opening season in a Redbird uniform with the third-best scoring average on the team, averaging 73.6 strokes per round over 18 rounds during the season. He had seven rounds at or under par last season, including a season-low 70 in the third round of the Badger Invitational on September 8.
Sutton played in 17 of the team's 19 rounds during the season and had the team's lowest individual round during the year. She averaged 78.9 strokes per round, and her 71 in the opening round of the 2019-20 season at the Redbird Invitational is tied for the lowest individual round by a member of the team during the year.
The Mounier Scholarship was established in 2007 by James and Carole Mounier. Jim and Carole are proud Illinois State graduates who were active in Greek life-Sigma Nu and Delta Zeta. They both enjoy golf and believe the sport builds character and life success. The scholarship is awarded annually to a men's and a women's golf student-athlete each year.
D.A. Weibring Endowed Scholarship Recipient // David Perkins, senior, East Peoria, Illinois.
Perkins had one of the most accomplished seasons in program history during the shortened year, as he was named a Third Team All-American by the Golf Coaches Association of America/PING, was named the MVC Golfer of the Year, and the MVC Men's Golf Scholar Athlete of the Year. His scoring average of 69.4 is the lowest by a golfer by a stroke and a half in the MVC since 2003, and 16 of his 18 rounds during the year finished at or under par.
Established in 1994 with proceeds from the first five D.A. Weibring Redbird Golf Classics, the scholarship -- named for the former Redbird golfer -- goes to a current Redbird golfer who meets specific eligibility criteria. The endowment became the first at Illinois State to be fully funded.
These endowed scholarships are among the 30 available to Illinois State student-athletes that are funded by private donors. For more information about establishing or contributing to an endowed scholarship, please call the Weisbecker Scholarship Fund office at (309) 438-3803. To read about each current endowment in more detail, visit the WSF website at www.weisbeckerscholarshipfund.com.
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