MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Six members of the West Virginia University golf team were named to the 2019 Academic All-Big 12 Men's Golf Teams as announced by the league office on Thursday.
 
Junior Philipp Matlari was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team and was one of nine golfers to receive special recognition for his 4.00 grade-point average. Seniors Tristan Nicholls and Max Sear, as well as junior Etienne Papineau, joined him on the first team. Sophomores Mark Goetz and Matthew Sharpstene were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Second Team.
 
"We've had some success on the golf course this season, but I am just as proud, if not more so, of what these guys have accomplished in the classroom," coach Sean Covich said. "With our practice and tournament travel schedule it can be very difficult to balance both academic demands and competitive golf, but these guys have continued to work hard both on the golf course and in the classroom. All the credit goes to them and our academic advisor, Stephanie White."
 
Matlari is a management major from Leimen, Germany who earns his first Big 12 recognition. Nicholls, an economics major, hails from Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, and earns his third Big 12 honor. He was previously named to the Academic All-Big 12 Second Team in 2018 after earning Academic All-Rookie Team accolades in 2016. A native of St-Jean-Sur-Richlieu, Quebec, Canada, Papineau is majoring in sport & exercise psychology and earns his second straight Academic All-Big 12 First Team honor. Sear is from Unionville, Ontario, Canada and earns his first-team honors for the second straight season. Additionally, he was deemed a GCAA/Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar in 2018.
 
Goetz is a business major from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, while Sharpstene is a sports management major from Charlotte, North Carolina. Both earned their first Big 12 academic honors.
 
The team is comprised of 46 men's golf honorees (37 first team and nine second team), along with 33 women's golf selections (28 first team and five second team) for a total of 65 combined first-team honorees.
 
On the men's side, Baylor led all teams with eight total selections, while Baylor, Kansas and Oklahoma's each had five honorees to lead on the women's side.
 
First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA while the second team selections hold a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA. To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 20 percent of their team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.