FRISCO, Texas – Nicholls State University men's golfer Ryan O'Neil has been named the 2021-22 Southland Conference Men's Golf Student-Athlete of the Year, the league announced Tuesday in conjunction with the academic all-conference teams.

In addition to taking the league's top academic honor, O'Neil was a first-team academic honoree and was joined on the squad by Martin Trochu, who garnered second team. 
 
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina and graduate of Cuthbertson High, O'Neil posts a 3.51 grade-point average in business administration. He is a two-time member of the Southland Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll. 

The accolade adds to an impressive 2022 spring for the third-year golfer. He was just one of three individuals in the league to win a tournament this season and finished runner-up in the Southland Championship. His medalist honor came in the Colonels' first tournament of the spring where he won the Gulf Coast Collegiate by four strokes, shooting a 4-under for the event. O'Neil went on to be named Southland Golfer of the Month for March. 

For the season, O'Neil posted the third lowest stroke average in the Southland at 73.33 en route to being named All-Southland First Team. He competed in eight events and finished in the Top 15 in five, including his first-place and second-place finishes. 
 
A native of La Teste-de-Buch, France, Trochu landed on the academic team with a 3.74 GPA in business administration. He competed in six tournaments for the Colonels, posting a 78.11 stroke average. Trochu's top finish was tying for 15th in the Southland Championship with a 228. He is also a member of the Southland Commissioner's Honor Roll.
 
The all-academic teams are voted on by a head coach, sports information director and academic/compliance staff member from each Southland Conference institution. To be nominated for the academic all-conference teams, student-athletes must possess a 3.0 cumulative GPA and have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution.
 
The Southland Conference awards committee, which consists of one administrator from each of the eight member schools, votes for the student-athlete of the year. All Student-Athlete of the Year nominees must have earned at least a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale and demonstrated athletics achievement for at least two years at the nominating institution.
 
2021-22 Southland Men's Golf Academic All-Conference Teams
Student-Athlete of the Year: Ryan O'Neil, Nicholls
 
First Team

Name	School	Cl.	Hometown	Major	GPA
Michael Rials	Francis Marion	Sr.	Florence, S.C.	Finance/Economics	3.75
Ben Caton	HBU	Jr.	St. Andrews, Scotland	Finance	3.96
Brady Bennett*	New Orleans	Gr.	Zachary, La.	Finance	3.52
Ryan O'Neil^*	Nicholls	Jr.	Charlotte, N.C.	Business Administration	3.51
Logan Kuehn*	Southeastern	Sr.	Lake Charles, La.	Business Management	3.00

 
Second Team

Name	School	Cl.	Hometown	Major	GPA
Brock Hoover	Augusta	So.	Woodstock, Ga.	Financial Services	4.00
Mitchell Vance	Francis Marion	Jr.	Hartsville, S.C.	Marketing	3.09
Mason Ghidina	HBU	Sr.	Pekin, Ill.	Finance	3.85
Michael Townsend	HBU	Sr.	Montgomery, Texas	Management	4.00
Martin Trochu	Nicholls	Jr.	La Teste-de-Buch, France	Business Administration	3.74

 
^Student-Athlete of the Year
*Automatic Academic All-Conference Selection