GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman's Matt Davidson has been voted Southern Conference Men's Golf Coach of the Year, while four Paladin players also earned postseason honors, as announced today by the league office.
Senior Will Morlan and juniors Clark Akers and Harris Barth were named to the All-SoCon team, while Ludvig Josefsson claimed a spot on the SoCon All-Freshman team. The teams are selected a vote of the league's eight head coaches.
"The SoCon is such a competitive and deep mid-major conference, so to have three players on the all-conference team and on the all-freshmen team is a testament to the solid season we had," said Davidson. "Clark, Harris, and Will should be so proud of this All-SoCon honor, as it is well deserved and they worked hard all year. Ludvig came into his own at the end of the season, and has shown a ton of promise as a freshman in practice as well as in events. I am happy for him to be recognized, as well. The coach of the year honor is very humbling. I truly believe we have the best group of coaches, and a number of us could have won this award this year. I am certainly honored to be the one to be named."
Davidson, who is in his seventh year at the helm of the Paladin program, earned his second-career SoCon coach of the year honor. A member of the Furman Athletics' 2018 Hall of Fame class, he remains the only person in SoCon men's golf history to be selected player of the year -- in 2002, while a sophomore at Furman -- and coach of the year. Under his direction, the Paladins are the highest ranked team in the league at 65th and boast five top-5 finishes during the 2024-25 season. The coach of the year award is Furman's 15th overall.
A native of Nashville, Tenn., Akers ranks third on the Paladin team and sixth in the league with a 72.04 stroke average over 27 rounds this season. He has recorded six top-17 finishes in nine events, including four top-10 finishes, and tied for fifth at the Furman Intercollegiate. Akers finished 10-under par at both the Trinity Forest Invitational, where he tied for sixth, and the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, where he tied for seventh after opening the tournament with a 65.
Barth, who hails from Atlanta, Ga., claimed his second-consecutive All-SoCon citation after leading Furman and ranking second in the SoCon with a 70.94 stroke average over 33 rounds. He tallied four top-six finishes in 11 events and paced the Paladins by tying for third at the Gopher Invitational. Barth went on to tie for fifth at both the Furman Intercollegiate, where he finished at 6-under par, and at the Hootie at Bulls Bay, where he posted a 9-under par 69-70-68=207.
A native of Alpharetta, Ga., Morlan earned his second career all-conference scroll after also being named to the team as a sophomore. He ranks second for Furman and fourth in the league with a 71.76 stroke average over 33 rounds. Morlan notched six top-20 finishes in 11 events, including a fourth-place finish at the Gators Invitational, where he posted rounds of 66-70-69=205 to conclude the tournament at 5-under par. He tied for seventh at the Gopher Invitational and tenth at the Seminole Intercollegiate.
Josefsson, a native of Hestra, Sweden, compiled a 73.96 stroke average over 27 rounds during his freshman campaign. He tied for 17th at last week's SoCon Championship after firing a 2-under 70 and pacing Furman with five birdies in the final round.
2024-25 Southern Conference Player of the Year
Kristian Bressum, Sr., ETSU
2024-25 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year
Jake Lewis, UNCG
2024-25 Southern Conference Coach of the Year
Matt Davidson, Furman
2024-25 All-Southern Conference Team
Kristian Bressum, Sr., ETSU
Yannick Malik, Jr., ETSU
Clark Akers, Jr., Furman
Harris Barth, Jr., Furman
Will Morlan, Sr., Furman
Colin Dutton, Sr., UNCG
Jack Marcotte, Gr., UNCG
Camden Braidech, So., Chattanooga
Garrett Engle, Sr., Chattanooga
Braedon Wear, Sr., Chattanooga
2024-25 All-Freshman Team
Gavin Tiernan, ETSU
Ludvig Josefsson, Furman
Jake Lewis, UNCG
Ethan Whitaker, Chattanooga
Chase Cline, Western Carolina
