When it comes to closing out one’s athletic career at the College, it’s hard to imagine a much better ending than the one enjoyed by Alex Ellis. The senior golfer and his teammates captured the conference title during the team’s first year in the CAA and, for the first time since 2003, earned a trip to the NCAA Southwest Regional Championship. Playing before a crowd of friends and family at Briggs Ranch Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas, not far from his hometown of Austin, Ellis competed in his last tournament as a Cougar, tying for 40th.
Ellis’ performance in Texas capped a career in which he was the team’s top player for the last three years and the only one to start every tournament this season. In 42 tournaments, Ellis placed within the top 10 seven times. During his junior year, the sociology major was named to the Southern Conference All-Conference team and competed in the NCAA regional as an individual player.
“It was an absolute pleasure to have Alex Ellis play in our program. He was the first recruit that we signed who was ranked in the top 100 in the country. He changed the way we recruited,” says head men’s golf coach Mark McEntire. “He did a tremendous job for us both on and off the course.”
This August, Ellis plans to compete in the U.S. Amateur Championship, for which he has qualified twice before. After that, he’s counting on turning pro – proving that one ending is actually just another beginning.
Photo by Mike Ledford
