NORMAN, Okla. – Three members of the Illinois State men's golf team: TJ Barger, Pietro Pontiggia, and Will Troy; have been named 2024-25 NCAA Division I Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars.
To be eligible for Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar nomination, an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior both academically and athletically in NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA, or receiving their associate's degree and in their last year of athletic eligibility in the NJCAA. In addition, they must participate in 50% of their team's competitive rounds, have a stroke average under 76.0 in NCAA Division I, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at their college or university.
Last season Barger led the Redbirds in scoring average at 72.8 strokes per round. He played in 38 rounds during the year, with 15 of those reaching a score at or under par. He carded a low-round of 209 at the 2025 MVC Championship in which he finished third overall, while also setting the school record for lowest round in program history with a 62 at the Kishawukee Intercollegiate.
Pontiggia averaged 74.6 strokes over each of the team's 38 rounds during the year. He had seven rounds at or under par, with a low round of 68 at the Hawkeye Invite, and a low tournament of 212 at the Dorado Beach Collegiate over February 23-25.
Troy ended his Redbird career with a scoring average of 74.0 over 38 rounds on the season. He had 14 rounds where he was at or under par, including a season-low round of 67 at the Hawkeye Invite on April 13. He had four top-10 finishes on the season, while also carding a tournament score of 209 at the Dorado Beach College on February 23-25.
The Redbirds finished in the top-two in each of the team's last three tournaments of the regular season, including a come-from-behind win at the 2025 MVC Championship. The season ended for ISU at the 2025 NCAA Urbana Regional, with ISU in contention for a spot at the 2025 National Championship into the second half of the final round.
