Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer

Jason Li of Carnegie Mellon Named First Team PING All-America; Folker Named All-Region

Jason Li of Carnegie Mellon Named First Team PING All-America; Folker Named All-Region
Posted: Jul 01, 2019

From Carnegie Mellon University Athletics

Sophomore Jason Li (Sewickley, Pa./Sewickley Academy) of the Carnegie Mellon University men's golf team has been recognized as a NCAA Division III PING First Team All-American by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).

Li becomes the first Tartan golfer to be named first team All-American and garners the sixth honor in program history. George Qian was named third team in 2017 and honorable mention in 2016 and 2015. Ian and Paul Bangor are the other All-Americans in Tartan golf history. Ian achieved the honor in 2013 while his father Paul received the distinction in 1985.

Sophomore Jason Folker (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) joined Li on the PING Mid-Atlantic Region team, which was announced at the GCAA annual awards dinner last Tuesday evening following the open round of the 2019 NCAA Division III Championships in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

Li and Folker helped lead the Tartans to the highest finish on the national stage when the Tartans placed 11th at the championships last week. Li also ended the 72-hole event 11th individually, which was the highest individual finish in program history, while Folker placed 57th.

Li, who was named a semifinalist for the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award and University Athletic Association (UAA) Player of the Year, finished the season with a team-best average round of 72.7 through 25 rounds and tied the school record with a four-under par 67 in the closing round of the Strimer Memorial Invitational. Li posted four rounds under 70 this season, and in nine of his 25 rounds shot under par.

The sophomore won both of his matches during the UAA match play championship in March, topping Matthew Shen of NYU 8-and-6 and Emory's Connor Yakubov 6-and-5 on his way to being named to his second straight UAA Championship All-Tournament team.

Folker ranked second on the team with a scoring average of 74.9 competing in all 25 rounds. The sophomore posted a 3-and-2 win over NYU's Chris Lee at the UAA Championship. Folker recorded his collegiate career-low round of four-under par 68 during the second round of the Gordin Collegiate Classic in early October. The sophomore has recorded seven rounds of even par or better this season, including a pair of 69 rounds to go with his career-best score.