Grahek and Platt Named To 2014 All-ACC Golf Academic Team

June 30, 2014

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame men’s golf junior Patrick Grahek and recently graduated senior Niall Platt were selected as the first student-athletes in program history to the all-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Men’s Golf Academic Team, as announced by the ACC on Monday. Grahek and Platt each received all-ACC academic recognition following Notre Dame’s first season competing in the conference in 2013-14.

To be eligible for consideration for the all-ACC Men’s Golf Academic Team, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester, while maintaining a cumulative 3.00 average during his academic career. The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, which was also presented on Monday to Georgia Tech junior Ollie Schniederjans, was established in the fall of 2007 and is annually awarded to the top junior or senior student-athlete in a respective sport who has maintained a cumulative 3.00 or higher grade point average throughout their career.

As a team, Notre Dame tied Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia in all-ACC academic team representatives with two players recognized. Georgia Tech led all conference members with five players tabbed to the academic team, while Clemson, Duke and Virginia Tech each had three honorees.

Grahek was a breakout performer for Notre Dame last season, appearing in a career-high nine tournaments, including six starts. His 74.00 stroke average was the third-best total on the Irish roster, as were his three top 25 finishes. The Alpharetta, Ga. native tied for seventh place during the Talis Park Challenge in Naples, Fla. (74-72-74-220) to post a career-best tournament result, later equaling the feat one month later at Notre Dame’s own Oak Hill Intercollegiate (73-74-74-221). Grahek made his biggest mark during the inaugural Irish run at the ACC Championship in April, carding a final round five-under-par 67 to lead all Notre Dame players with a share of ninth place (75-71-67-213, -3).

Platt claimed individual medalist honors for the second time in his collegiate career, spinning a four-under-par 66 during the second round on his way to a three-shot victory (71-66-72-209, -1) at April’s Oak Hill Intercollegiate. The Oak Hill triumph was one of many highlights for Platt during his senior campaign, which saw the Santa Barbara, Calif. native become the program’s all-time leading scorer with a final 73.17 stroke average over 122 career rounds. Platt was named to the all-ACC team, the first Irish golfer to earn all-conference accolades from the new league, and was tabbed to the Division I PING all-Midwest Region team by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) after leading Notre Dame with a 72.25 stroke average, four top five and five top 10 finishes in 2013-14.

Platt closed his career as just the second Notre Dame men’s golfer to ever qualify individually for the NCAA Championship when he tied for 34th place (80-77-73-230) at the NCAA Sugar Grove Regional at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. in May. Platt joined Josh Sandman as Irish NCAA individual entrants, with Sandman tying for 65th place at the 2008 NCAA Central Regional in Columbus, Ohio.

2014 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Ollie Schniederjans, Jr., Georgia Tech Management

2014 All-ACC Men’s Golf Academic Team

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