After a season filled with individual as well as team success, the Big Green men's golf team continues to receives awards for last spring's accomplishments.
Last week, the New England Golf Association named MacKenzie Hurd '98 and recent graduate Bryan Kim '95 to its All-New England Division 1 golf team. Both golfers had already received All-Ivy honors in May.
"I really wasn't too surprised by the awards," Coach Bill Johnson said. "I was expecting that it would happen given both of their achievements.
Hurd, who became the first Dartmouth golfer since 1975 to win the ECAC championship last fall, has proven to be one of the most outstanding freshmen in the conference.
"I think MacKenzie is the best freshman I've ever had," Johnson said. "He is poised very well, and he has fine athletic ability."
After being diagnosed with leukemia in high school, Hurd was told by doctors four years ago he could no longer play contact sports. At that time, Hurd began playing golf and has excelled ever since.
"He caddies a lot during the summer at a Rhode Island Country Club where he works with some top golfers," Johnson said. "I think his ability to read the greens has improved through his caddying and that makes him one of the best putters I've ever worked with."
With his disease in remission, Hurd will continue to compete for the Big Green next fall. Hurd,though only a sophomore, will play a major role in leading the team as a co-captain.
With Kim and Alex Dicks '95, another graduate, missing from next year's team, Hurd will have his work cut out for him.
Kim, who has been the Big Green's number one man for four years, will be a tough act to follow. After a tremendous spring trip, shooting in the 70's in 13 rounds, Kim ended his season winning the Ivy League Championships.
In the fall, Dicks won the ECAC qualifying tournament after shooting a 73, and the Big Green will miss his skill and leadership.
With such great individual accomplishments, the Big Green were somewhat disappointed that they came up short of any team victories. But this does not take away from the tremendous effort put in by the '94-'95 squad.
"This was a great season, but not our best," Johnson said. "This was a winning team even though it never won a tournament. Out of four major tournaments, we did have three individual champions."
The Big Green golfers willpractice on an individual basis throughout the summer. They will return to Dartmouth a few weeks before classes to prepare for the fall season.
Despite the loss of valuable seniors, the Big Green has always proven to bounce back and will look to Hurd along with others to continue the Dartmouth tradition.
"In my years of coaching I have had nine All-Americans," Johnson said. "I'm looking forward to MacKenzie to be another one of those."
