Air Force Academy

June 23, 2009

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - A trio of Air Force golfers were among the record-breaking 772 student-athletes named to the Academic All-Mountain West Conference team, as announced by the league Tuesday afternoon. Shaun O'Bryant (Colorado Springs, Colo.) earned the second academic all-conference selection of his career, while Tom Whitney (La Quinta, Calif.) and Kyle Bailey (Austin, Texas) each garnered their first academic all-conference honors.

O'Bryant, the Falcons' MVP in 2009 and two-year team captain, graduated from the Academy in May with a 3.17 GPA in management. Playing in all 12 tournaments this season, O'Bryant recorded a career-best 74.8 season stroke average, ranking second on the team.

Whitney, a rising senior with a 3.21 GPA in social science, was Air Force's top performer throughout the season, leading the Falcons in all 12 tournaments, including the MWC Championship, where he earned all-conference honors for the first time in his career. Whitney, who set numerous school records, including lowest individual round (64) and lowest season stroke average (72.0) was also the first Air Force golfer since 2005 to compete at an NCAA Regional, placing 27th at the NCAA South Central Regional in Stillwater, Okla.

Meanwhile, Bailey, a rising junior with a 3.14 GPA in computer science, also competed in all 12 tournaments for the Falcons, finishing third on the team with a season stroke average of 75.7. His personal-best tournament score of 207 at the Ron Moore Invitational, helped him capture his first career top-five finish, tying with Whitney for third place at the event. In addition, the mark ranks tied for fourth-lowest in school history.

The spring 2009 Academic All-Mountain West Conference team included athletes in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis and men's and women's track and field. To be eligible for selection, student-athletes must have completed at least one academic term at the member institution while maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, and be a starter or significant contributor on their athletic team.