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 2021-22 winners of the five endowed scholarships dedicated to golf include seniors Joe Hodgson and Andrew O'Brien, in addition to juniors Ali Schrock, Maria Toledo Bailey, and Felix van Dijk.
Durwood L. Boone Endowed Scholarship Recipient //Joe Hodgson, senior, Adelaide, South Australia
Through three tournaments of the 2021-22 season, Hodgson is averaging 75.1 strokes per round, including a career-low 67 at the Badger Invitational, helping the Redbirds to the team title. Of his nine rounds this season, three have been at or under par. Over his career he has played in 45 rounds, with a stroke average of 75.3.
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 // Ali Schrock, junior, Pontiac, Illinois
Schrock has played in all six rounds for the Redbirds this season and is averaging 73.5 strokes per round – second-lowest scoring average on the team. She has two rounds this season at or under par through two tournaments. Over her career, she has played in 45 rounds, and averages 77.0 strokes per round, a total that has her currently fourth in the school's all-time record book.
In January 1995 the Helen Cushman Endowed Scholarship Fund was established with a donation from the late Pat and Nina 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's death in appreciation to Cushman, who had introduced them to the game of golf.
James and Carole Mounier Endowed Scholarship Recipients // Maria Toledo Bailey, junior, Birmingham, England // Felix van Dijk, junior, Tilburg, Holland
Maria Toledo Bailey, the 2021 MVC Newcomer of the Year, returns and leads the Redbirds in stroke average through the first two tournaments of the year. She has played in four rounds, and averages 73.0 strokes per round, with two rounds at or under par. She finished fourth at the 2021 Redbird Invitational, en route to earning MVC Golfer of the Week honors.
van Dijk most recently played in the 2021 Dutch Junior Open in between tournaments and has seen six rounds this season for the Redbirds. He averages 76.2 strokes per round, this season, with one round under par. His season-low round of 70 came in the second round of the Badger Invitational, where he helped ISU tie a single-round school record in the process.
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 // Andrew O'Brien, senior, Clive, Iowa.
Was named All-MVC last season after finishing fourth at the 2021 MVC Championship. This season he is averaging 75.2 strokes per round and has a career scoring average of 74.7 in 61 career rounds. He recently carded a career-low round in the second round of the 2021 Badger Invitational, where he shot a six-under 66, a big part of ISU's school record-tying round in the event.
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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