ATHENS, Ohio – With a 3.449 team grade-point average during the winter 2005 academic quarter, the Ohio University men’s golf team set a new record high for a team GPA in any sport at Ohio. The Bobcats boasted seven members on the Dean’s List, including sophomore Ryan Siekmann (Dublin), who the Mid-American Conference named to the Academic All-MAC Team for men’s golf last week.

“We recruit smart kids and it’s contagious,” said Ohio head coach Bob Cooley. “These kids are competing in the classroom as well as on the golf course. They spend a lot of time studying together and our new golf lounge has provided a great atmosphere for that effort.”

Siekmann led the Bobcats this past year with a 73.96 stroke average over 27 rounds. That mark placed him with the fourth-best single-season average in school history. In addition to being Ohio’s top finisher at the 2005 MAC Championships by tying for 12th, the All-MAC second-teamer also holds a 3.38 accumulative GPA as a marketing and pre-law double major.

“Ryan, obviously, works very hard on both his golf game and his academics,” Cooley said. “He realizes the importance of getting a good education here at Ohio University and his grades have done nothing but go up since he’s been here.”

Other members of the Ohio men’s golf team who made the Dean’s List last quarter were senior Brian Bickle (Gallipolis), juniors Brian Elsea (Columbus), Jon Johasky (Lower Burrell, Pa.) and Luke Korner (Athens) and sophomores Grant Christman (Columbus) and Mark Cimarolli (Pittsburgh). Two other Bobcats – freshman Brian Day (Avon Lake) and sophomore Blake Russell (Dublin) – hold accumulative GPA’s higher than 3.2 but did not carry the minimum 16 hours during the quarter required for Dean’s List consideration.