NORMAN, Okla. - Captains
Phillip Clifton '25 and
Ben Sapovits '25 of the Williams College men's golf team were named 2024-25 NCAA Division III Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Tuesday afternoon.
Clifton and Sapovits earned this award for the second straight year, as they were recipients of this accolade at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. To be eligible for Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar honors, an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior academically and athletically in NCAA Division I, II or III or a member of an NAIA program. Additionally, people receiving an associate degree and in the last year of athletic eligibility in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) are eligible.
Additional criteria for qualification are student-athletes must participate in 50% of their teams' competitive rounds, have a stroke average under 79 in NCAA Division III and maintain a minimum cumulative career GPA of 3.2. Recipients must also be of high moral character and in good standing at their colleges or universities. There were 202 Division III student-athletes from 78 schools who earned 2024-25 Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar honors.
Clifton was a model of consistency, shooting between 76 and 79 in seven fall rounds. The Winston-Salem, North Carolina, native competed in four fall tournaments and was the team's second-place finisher in each one.
He placed in a tie for 15th overall with a round of 76 during the Skidmore Fall Invitational on Oct. 12 in Saratoga Springs, New York, as the Ephs finished in a tie for second out of 21 teams. The outstanding student-athlete recorded a 79-76-155 score at the Bowdoin Invite on Sept. 28-29 in Brunswick, Maine, and posted a 78-77-155 mark in the season-opening Duke Nelson Invitational on Sept. 14-15 in Middlebury, Vermont. During the Williams Fall Invitational on Sept. 21-22 at the Taconic Golf Club, Clifton finished with a two-round total of 154 (77-77).
Sapovits scored in the 70s during 11-of-13 rounds. During the Tim Brown Invitational on April 12-13 in Ballston Spa, New York, he recorded a season-low round of 73 on Day 2 on his way to tallying a season-best, two-round score of 147.Â
He placed in a tie for 14th overall with a 75-76-151 score during the Williams Spring Invitational on April 19-20 at Waubeeka Golf Links. During the Williams Fall Invitational, he was tied for the team's second-place performer with a score of 78-76-154.
Â
