Michigan State University Athletics
Rutledge and Heinze Earn All-Region Golf Honors
5/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's golfers Mitch Rutledge and Josh Heinze have been named Division I PING All-Midwest Region, as announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) on Sunday.
A total of 156 players across six regions - Northeast, East, Southeast, Midwest, Central and West - earned all-region honors for 2016. The Midwest Region team features players from seven different Big Ten teams.
Rutledge, a senior from St. Louis, Missouri, and Heinze, a junior from Canton, Michigan, are the first Spartans to earn All-Midwest Region honors since Matthew Moseley in 2013 and current assistant coach Dan Ellis in 2012. Rutledge concluded a strong senior campaign after earning second-team All-Big Ten honors earlier this season.
In his first season with the Spartans after transferring from Eastern Michigan, Heinze captured the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate in Columbus in April. He had three top five finishes this season.
Rutledge has been one of the most consistent golfers all season for the Spartans, finishing tied for ninth at the Big Ten Championship. The senior won the Inverness Intercollegiate on Oct. 22 for his sole individual medalist honor this season. He has three top-five finishes this season.
Rutledge ended the season with a 73.21 stroke average, while Heinze's was 73.22. The 73.21 by Rutledge was 11th-best in MSU history, while the 73.22 by Heinze ranked 12. Both players passed head coach Casey Lubahn, who had a 73.53 season average in 2003.
Heinze and Rutledge helped MSU have a resurgent season, returning to NCAA Regionals for the first time since the 2009 season. Michigan State finished tied for eighth in the Stillwater Regional in Stillwater, Oklahoma. MSU also had a strong showing at the Big Ten Championship in Newburgh, Indiana. The fourth-place finish for the Spartans at the Big Ten Championship is the best since finishing fourth in the 2012.
Midwest Region
Fernando Barco, Purdue
Otto Black, Toledo
Brian Carlson, Purdue
Charlie Danielson, Illinois
Keegan de Lange, Louisville
Thomas Detry, Illinois
Austin Eoff, Purdue
Patrick Flavin, Miami (OH)
Will Grimmer, Ohio State
Nick Hardy, Illinois
Josh Heinze, Michigan State
Ian Holt, Kent State
Chase Johnson, Kent State
Tee-k Kelly, Ohio State
Raymond Knoll, Iowa
Joo-Young Lee, Northern Illinois
Dylan Meyer, Illinois
Jose Montano, Xavier
Kyle Mueller, Michigan
Chris O'Neill, Michigan
Mitch Rutledge, Michigan State
Carson Schaake, Iowa
Robin Sciot-Siegrist, Louisville
Dylan Wu, Northwestern
Nate Yankovich, Iowa
