MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee freshman golfer Jason Millard was one of the top individuals at the NCAA Division I National Championships when he finished tied for 18th on the treacherous Pete Dye-designed Kampen Course in West Lafayette, Ind.
The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) regarded him as one of the nation's top golfers when the organization named him honorable mention All-American.
Millard was one of 30 golfers named to the squad and only 60 total were named to either the first, second, third or honorable mention teams.
"I am really surprised, but honored," said Millard, a Murfreesboro native who prepped at nearby Riverdale High School. "I thought I could have had a better season that I did and we had a lot of good players on our team, players who had better seasons than me."
But Millard had a knack for being consistent all season and he was at his best when the stakes were highest. He cracked the five-man lineup for 12 of Middle Tennessee's 13 tournaments on a team loaded with tournament-tested players and he performed as though he belonged from the outset.
Millard played in 37 rounds with a low of 68 and his top finish was seventh but the show he put on at the National Championships when he led the Blue Raiders in each round and for the tournament was remarkable - particularly for a freshman. He was even in the second round and 1-over in the third, at one point reaching as high as sixth on the leader board.
"I am awful proud of Jason and how far he has come in a year's time," Middle Tennessee head coach Whit Turnbow said. "He was pretty consistent a majority of the year and I think he learned a lot about his game and how much game he really does have. Jason is going to be as good as he wants to be. It's just a matter of him believing he's one of the best in the country."
Milliard is developing quite the resume to back up his worth among the nation's elite but Turnbow said he is not surprised the freshman had such a breakout season.
"He's that good," Turnbow said. "It's just a matter of him believing he's that good. Hopefully he will take a lot from this experience and build on that. What Jason did last season is what I expect of every freshman I bring in here. It is my job to go find guys to come in here and fight for a spot as a freshman. He did that and to earn a spot and stay in the lineup all year is quite a feat for a freshman."
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