OCU's Valenciana Named to All-Nicklaus Team
Story courtesy of Oklahoma City Athletic Communication
OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma City's Julian Valenciana, a member of the 2010 NAIA men's golf national championship team, was selected to the All-Nicklaus team chosen by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
The all-Nicklaus team recognizes the top-24 golfers in the nation from every collegiate level - NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and NJCAA.
Valenciana, a senior from Monterrey, Mexico, compiled 73.00 strokes per round in the 2009-10 campaign. Valenciana earned the victory in the Grand Canyon Fall Invitational on Oct. 5-6 in Goodyear, Ariz. Valenciana tied for third place and picked up all-tournament acclaim in the NAIA Men's Golf National Championships with a 69-73-75-71--288, eight strokes out of first.
In his two-year OCU career, Valenciana had a 73.00 stroke average in 20 events. He posted three wins and seven rounds in the 60s. Valenciana's victories included wins in the 2007 Oklahoma Christian Fall Classic and the 2008 Texas Intercollegiate. Valenciana was a two-time GCAA All-NAIA Central Region, NAIA All-American and PING NAIA All-American.
Anthony Michael of OCU made the 2009 All-Nicklaus team.
This year's 24 individuals include NCAA individual champion Scott Langley of Illinois, NAIA medalist Justin Lower of Malone (Ohio), NCAA Division III champ Tain Lee of Claremont McKenna (Calif.) and junior college champion Marcelo Rozo of John A. Logan (Ill.).
The All-Nicklaus team was created in 2008 and is not only named for history's greatest player, but also a long-time supporter of collegiate and amateur golf. Jack Nicklaus, a Big Ten and NCAA champion at Ohio State, helped inspire and create the Jack Nicklaus Award in 1988. The Nicklaus Award is annually given to the top-collegiate men's golfer in Division I, II, III and the NAIA.
The Stars have now captured NAIA men's golf championships in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010. OCU's seven men's golf titles are the most by one school in the NAIA.
2010 All-Nicklaus Team
Abraham Ancer, Odessa (Texas)
Lucas Bogden, Northwood (Texas)
John Chin, UC Irvine
Harris English, Georgia
Nils Floren, Texas Tech
Dustin Garza, Wichita State
Russell Henley, Georgia
Scott Langley, Illinois
Peter Latimer, Guilford (N.C.)
Tain Lee, Claremont McKenna (Calif.)
Justin Lower, Malone (Ohio)
Brett Munson, North Alabama
Jonathan Randolph, Mississippi
Andrea Pavan, Texas A&M
Marcelo Rozo, John A. Logan (Ill.)
Juan Salcedo, McLennan (Texas)
Josh Schrader, Methodist (N.C.)
Matt Stauch, Florida Southern
Nick Taylor, Washington
Peter Uihlein, Oklahoma State
Julian Valenciana, Oklahoma City
Diego Velasquez, Oregon State
Eugene Wong, Oregon
Justin Yoder, Central Missouri