INDIANAPOLIS – University of Missouri-St. Louis senior Joel Sylven has been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Men's Golf Player of the Year, while teammate Leo Baudry earned the Freshman of the Year nod, and McKendree University head coach Mikal Guffey was chosen by his peers as GLVC Coach of the Year, it was announced by the Conference office on Wednesday. In addition, five individuals completed the 12-member All-Conference team.
Per GLVC Bylaws, each of the top-five finishers – extended to include ties – at the GLVC Championship automatically earn an All-Conference selection, with the remaining five individuals and major award winners nominated and voted on by the head coaches. Coaches are not permitted the vote for their own players.
Player of the Year: Joel Sylven, Fifth-Year, Missouri-St. Louis
- Becomes UMSL’s third Player of the Year with his first selection, while this is his second major award after a nod as the GLVC Freshman of the Year in 2019.
- Played in 33 rounds during the 2022-23 season with a 71.10 stroke average and season-low 64.
- Earned six tournament top-five finishes and nine top-10 results, which are the most for any GLVC player this year, finishing worse than sixth only twice all season.
- Ranked No. 1 in the GLVC, second in NCAA Midwest Region, and 22nd in NCAA Division II.
- Helped UMSL to two tournament wins and three runner-up finishes, while adding three other top-five finishes.
- Finished third at GLVC Championship (73-72-69–214).
Freshman of the Year: Leo Baudry, Missouri-St. Louis
- Becomes UMSL’s second Freshman of the Year behind Joel Sylven in 2019.
- Played in 27 rounds during the 2022-23 season with a 74.31 stroke average and season-low 68.
- Earned one top-five tournament finish, three top-10 results, and five top-25 finishes.
- Top-ranked freshman in the GLVC.
- Helped UMSL to two tournament wins and three runner-up finishes, while adding three other top-five finishes.
- Finished in a tie for 24th at GLVC Championship (83-75-73–231).
Coach of the Year: Mikal Guffey, McKendree
- Becomes second mentor from McKendree to win Coach of the Year, as he won for the first time in 2020.
- Led Bearcats to first medal/match play appearance since 2014 as No. 3 seed, upsetting second-seeded Missouri S&T in semifinals (3.5-1.5) and top-seeded UMSL in finals (2.5-2.5; 367-375) to win first-ever GLVC Championship.
- Guided three to All-GLVC recognition, including sophomore Fabian Wennerlof, who finished fourth at the GLVC Championship (74-73-71–218), as well as junior Thomas Tollefsen and sophomore Rasmus Nilsson, who were voted onto the All-Conference team.
Along with Sylven, Tritons teammates Cyril Henault (74-70-69–213; second), Nick Hedburg (73-75-72–220; t-fifth), and Juan Antonio Padilla (75-72-73–220; t-fifth), along with University of Illinois Springfield freshman Alex Seibal (76-70-74–220; t-fifth), McKendree University sophomore Fabian Wennerlof (74-73-71–218; fourth), and GLVC Individual Medalist Carl Miltun (70-63-70–203; first) from Missouri S&T earned an automatic spot on the team based on their finish at the Conference tournament. The individuals who were voted by the league coaches as the five additional All-Conference honorees include McKendree junior Thomas Tollefsen and sophomore Rasmus Nilsson, along with University of Indianapolis graduate student Cam Carroll, Maryville University sophomore Kai Chun Hsu, and Missouri S&T senior Gustav Liljedahl.
The league also recognized 11 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees for the sport and the team award winner, Maryville. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced later this month.
A complete list of All-GLVC performers and major postseason award winners can be found below.
GLVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Joel Sylven, Sr., Missouri-St. Louis
GLVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Leo Baudry, Missouri-St. Louis
GLVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Mikal Guffey, McKendree
ALL-GLVC
Alex Seibal, Fr., UIS^
Cam Carroll, Gr., UINDY
Kai Chun Hsu, So., MU
Rasmus Nilsson, So., MCK
Thomas Tollefsen, Jr., MCK
Fabian Wennerlof, So., MCK^
Gustav Liljedahl, Sr., S&T
Carl Miltun, Jr., S&T^
Nick Hedberg, Jr., UMSL^
Cyril Henault, Fr., UMSL^
Juan Antonio Padilla, Jr., UMSL^
Joel Sylven, 5th-Yr., UMSL^
*Extra Members Due to Ties
^Top-five finishers – including ties – at GLVC Championship
GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES
Clayton Kaiser, DU
Daniel Edwards, UIS
Jacob Nickell, UINDY
Ty Doty, LEWIS
Austin Fauser, MU
Rasmus Nilsson, MCK
Jeppe Thybo, S&T
Nick Hedberg, UMSL
David Hutson, QU
David Schilp, RU
Fredrik Hersley, WJC
GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM AWARD
Maryville