Four Tigers named 2023-24 All-America Scholars in Men’s Golf

SPRINGFIELD — Four members of the Wittenberg men's golf team earned NCAA Division III Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar recognition for the 2023-24 season, the Golf Coaches Association of America announced on Thursday.

Seniors J.F. Aber (Pittsburgh, Pa./Sewickley Academy) and Nicklaus Pidgeon (Homeworth, Ohio/West Branch) and juniors Joshua Wright (Wadsworth, Ohio/Akron Hoban) and Jake Yarbrough (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) were among 208 Division III student-athletes representing 81 schools earning the recognition for 2023-24. This marks the second straight season that Pidgeon and Wright have earned the accolade.

To be eligible for the honor, an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior both academically and athletically, participate in at least 50% of his team's competitive rounds with a stroke average under 79.0 and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade point average of at least 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at their college or university.

Aber, a finance major, closed the season with a 71.5-stroke average over 29 rounds spanning 12 events. He earned PING All-America Second Team and All-Region V Team honors from the GCAA and was a finalist for the NCAA Division III Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award. A three-time All-American and four-time All-Region selection in his career, Aber was the 2024 North Coast Athletic Conference Championships medalist and NCAC Player of the Year. He was also a four-time NCAC Men's Golfer of the Week honoree and was recognized on the conference's 40th Anniversary All-Decade Team this year.

Aber was the individual medalist in five of the Tigers' 12 tournaments in 2023-24 and added four other top-10 finishes. He posted a three-round school-record score of 9-under-par at the Savannah Invitational on March 4-5 and won the NCAC Championships tournament by a margin of four strokes at 5-under-par. At the NCAC Championships, his first-round 68 and second-round 66 were the best in the 40-man field in each of those rounds, and his total of 205 marked a school-record score for a three-round tournament.

In four years at Wittenberg, Aber has twice been named NCAC Player of the Year (2023, 2024) and is a four-time All-NCAC honoree (First Team in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and Second Team in 2021) and seven-time NCAC Men's Golfer of the Week.

Aber closed the 2023-24 season ranked No. 14 nationally in the Division III Scoreboard rankings after leading the Tigers to an at-large berth in the NCAA Championships tournament. Wittenberg finished 15th in the 43-team field at the national tournament, and Aber was the Tigers' top individual, placing 17th overall with a 2-under-par 76-68-73-69—286.

Pidgeon, a management major, finished 2023-24 with a 75.6-stroke average over 27 rounds spanning 11 events. He posted three top-10 finishes, including a tie for first place at the Win Palmer Cup and a tie for second at the Denison Spring Shootout, shooting a 3-under-par at both events.

Wright, a finance and economics major, finished the season with a 75.3-stroke average over 29 rounds spanning 12 events. An All-NCAC Third Team honoree after tying for 13th place at the NCAC Championships, Wright had four top-10 showings on the year, including tying Aber for first place at 2-under-par at the Wittenberg Fall Classic.

Yarbrough, a sport management major, closed the year with a 74.3-stroke average over 27 rounds spanning 11 events. He posted six top-10 finishes and was an All-NCAC First Team honoree after tying for fourth at the NCAC Championships at 1-over-par. His top finish was a third-place showing at 1-under-par at the Wittenberg Fall Classic.

Under head coach David Wetterich, the Wittenberg men's golf team won six events in 2023-24 and finished as the NCAC runner-up en route to earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championships in Boulder City, Nev. The Tigers capped the season by finishing 15th of 43 teams at the NCAA Championships.