BURNSVILLE, Minn. – JJ Cooney, Brenden Bassing and Gavin Metz of the central-region-bound University of Sioux Falls Men's Golf Team were all honored as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced its end of the season honors on Wednesday, May 5.  

 

JJ Cooney of Pickstown, S.D., earned his fourth overall All-NSIC honor and his second first team All-NSIC selection (2021, 2018). He was second team in 2017 and 2019. Senior Brenden Bassing of Sioux Falls, S.D., was named to the second team All-NSIC as he earned his first honor. With the selection of Bassing and Cooney, USF had two selections on the all-league team for the first time in program history. Sophomore Gavin Metz of Brainerd, Minn., was selected as the NSIC Newcomer of the Year as he became USF's first-ever to earn that honor.  

 
All three contributed as USF Men's Team earned the program's first-ever selection to the NCAA Division II Central Regional. Ranked No. 7 in the region, the Cougars will compete at the regional beginning on Thursday (May 6) at Shoal Creek GC in Kansas City, Mo. Metz, Cooney and Bassing also led USF to third place (second-best finish in school history - 2nd - 2015) at the NSIC Championships.

Cooney, who was recently named an NSIC Scholar Athlete for the second straight year, became USF first-ever golfer to earn All-NSIC honors four times. In 2021, Cooney competed in seven events and totaled 19 rounds of golf for a team-best 75.37 scoring average for ninth in the NSIC. Cooney and his teammates ranked second in the NSIC in team scoring average at 299.8. He had a season-best finish of third at the Hillcat Classic in Owasso, Okla., which included a season-best round of two-under par 70 as he shot a  218 (76-72-70).

Cooney, who was named the USF Male Athlete of the Year in 2020, earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration and Entrepreneurial Studies in May, 2020 and is enrolled in the Master of Business Administration program. He was selected to the CoSIDA All-District Team in 2020. Cooney had four top-20 finishes in 2021 and now has 17 top-10 finishes, six top-five and an individual title. In addition, Cooney finished with four rounds at or under par which was the best on the squad in 2021. Cooney is also a three-time Academic All-NSIC selection who has received the NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award for a GPA of 3.75 or higher. The son of Tom and Deb Cooney, JJ was also named the Vucurevich School of Business Outstanding Entrepreneurial Studies Senior during the Spirit of Excellence presentation in 2020. 
 
Bassing, a senior business administration major from Sioux Falls, S.D., finished 10^th at the NSIC Championships with a career-best three r0und total of 10-over par 223 (77-72-74). He finished 12^th in the NSIC in scoring average with a 75.9 across 19 rounds and 1,442 rounds.  Bassing, who had a season best round of 71 at the Washburn Invite and 10 times had a round of 75 or lower. A three-time Academic All-NSIC honoree, he has finished in the top 15 at the NSIC Championships twice (10^th, 2021, 11^th, 2019-20). He has four top-10 finishes (two in the top five) and eight top-15 results in his career.

 

Metz, a business administration major, carded a three-over par 216 (75-68-73) at the NSIC Championships and finished a program-best third place individually. Metz, who earned NSIC All-Tourney honors, averaged 76.58 per round in 2021 which ranked 19th in the league. He had a low round of three-under par 68 in the second round of the NSIC Championships. He also carded a three-under par 69 at the Hillcat Classic in Owasso, Okla. Eight times he carded a round of 75 or lower. This season, he had two top-10 and one top-five finish.