FORT MYERS, FLA. – Incoming junior Jon Hopkins (Bishop's Stortford, England/Mississippi Gulf Coast) has been named a finalist for the 2020 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award as announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America. He is one of six finalists at the NJCAA level and one of 26 overall finalists at all five collegiate levels represented.
 
"It is great to see Jon's hard work this past season culminating in him being a Nicklaus Award Finalist," said head coach Andrew Danna. "Jon is a very hard working and determined young man. I continue to look forward to the future of our program and getting started with our team this upcoming season."
 
Hopkins recorded a trio of wins during 2019-20, claiming victories at the Itawamba Fall Invite, NJCAA Tournament Preview, and MGCCC Fall invite. The Bishop's Stortford, England, native also totaled four top-10 finishes over the course of the season. Hopkins tallied a scoring average of 71.74 and was ranked third in the final Golfstat NJCAA DII ranking. He finished the abbreviated 2019-20 campaign by earning GCAA PING NJCAA Division II All-America First Team honors. He was also presented the Hubert Tucker Award for the lowest scoring average in conference events, winning by more than two shots a round.
 
Recipients of the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award will be announced during the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, scheduled July 13-19.
 
"I have a special place in my heart for this award, and it's always been a highlight for us at the Memorial Tournament when we have the opportunity to recognize these young men," Nicklaus said. "Like so many student-athletes around the world, these golfers have been stripped of competition, championships and other moments to create lasting memories. I am delighted to see that the GCAA and Golf.com have worked to keep this well-deserved honor moving forward."
 
"The Jack Nicklaus award is such a prestigious award for many reasons. Simply put, Jack Nicklaus embodies the gold standard in the game of golf," said GCAA President Greg Sands. "It's extremely exciting to see these student-athletes be recognized for their hard work, commitment, and dedication. On behalf of the GCAA and our entire coaching community, we are thrilled to honor this award during such unique times."
 
A full list of all finalists from the five divisions can be found at www.collegiategolf.com.
 
For complete coverage of the FGCU men's golf team, follow the Eagles on Twitter and Instagram at @FGCU_MGOLF and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com.  You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU men's golf and other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
 
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
 
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.

 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--