Severe weather washed out the final round of the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Golf Championships on Wednesday, leaving WKU with a last-place finish.

The Toppers finished 11th at the tournament in Muscle Shoals, Ala., with a score of 616, based on totals from the first two rounds.

They shot a 318 in Monday’s first round before shaving 20 strokes off their team total for a Tuesday score of 298.

WKU was led individually by junior Alex Yost, who tied for 22nd with a two-day total of 149. Yost’s 69 on Tuesday was also the best single-round score for the Toppers all season.

Denver won the team title with a score of 573, and North Texas’ Carlos Ortiz was the individual winner with a 137.

WKU honors academics of student athletes at banquet

WKU recognized more than 250 student athletes at its academic banquet Monday in the Topper Club at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

Of those honored, 224 have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, according to a release from WKU media relations.

The scholar teams of the year awards, which go to the teams with the highest GPA over the past year, were presented at the banquet.

The Men’s Scholar Team Award was a tie between baseball and tennis, while the Women’s Scholar Team Award went to tennis.

Senior baseball catcher Matt Rice won the Individual Male Scholar Award with a 4.0 GPA, while senior soccer player Maggie Wilder’s 3.99 GPA earned her the award on the women’s side.

The Graduate Scholar Award was given to Rachel Friedman, a former soccer player and current member of the cross country and track teams.

Head volleyball coach Travis Hudson earned the Courage Award, given to the individual or team that “showed tremendous courage, resolve and dedication in the face of adversity,” according to the release.

Hudson received the award for steering his team’s errant bus to safety on a trip to South Alabama last October after the driver suffered a fatal heart attack at the wheel.

The Outreach Service Award was also presented to freshman Taryn O’Shea from the women’s soccer team.