University of Tennessee Athletics
Skinns Receives All-America Honors
June 02, 2003 | Men's Golf
June 2, 2003
Following solid campaigns for the Vols in 2003, Tennessee golfers David Skinns and Andrew Pratt received postseason recognition by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Skinns garnered honorable mention PING All-America honors while Pratt was named a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar.
Skinns, who was also named to the PING All-Region team, finished tied for 22nd last week on the individual leaderboard of the 2003 NCAA Golf Championships at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. His impressive third-round score, a 4-under-par 68, ranked among the tournament's best one-day individual totals.
"It's a tremendous achievement to be named All-America," Tennessee head coach Jim Kelson said. "With the parity in collegiate golf, it's extremely difficult to make one of those four teams (first-team, second-team, third-team and honorable mention). One, two or three shots could separate a second-team All-America from an honorable mention. It's that close."
As a freshman in 2002, Skinns was named a second-team All-America as well as the Softspikes National Freshman of the Year. He rode that wave of momentum into the 2003 season and once again served as a leader for the Vols. Skinns becomes the first Vol to earn All-America acclaim in consecutive years since Mike Sposa in 1990 and 1991.
"[Everyone is] obviously excited for David, and I know he was excited because that was a big goal of his, to be an All-American throughout his collegiate career," Kelson said. "All in all, it was a very good year for David and it was good to see him get recognized."
Pratt, a senior, also received postseason honors for the Volunteers. The Bartlett native was rewarded for the diligence he exhibited in the classroom throughout his career in Big Orange Country, as he was named a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar for the second straight season. Pratt is the first Vol to win the honor in consecutive years since Dale Thorley in 1994 and 1995.
To be eligible for the honor, student-athletes must be in either their junior or senior year of eligibility, have a minimum grade-point-average of 3.0 (out of a possible 4.0) and meet certain scoring requirements. Having received the honor in each of the two seasons during which he was eligible, Pratt closed out his career on Rocky Top in fine fashion.
"We were very proud of Andrew winning that award for two years in a row," Kelson said of the departing senior. "Andrew was an outstanding student-athlete for the University of Tennessee. He had a very good golf career, but he also excelled academically as well. He did all the right things on and off the golf course. I know [academic awards] mean a lot to Andrew and his family, but they also mean a lot to our program when we have young men who receive those types of awards."
Players Mentioned
