BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its award recipients for the 2022-23 men's golf season on Monday.
Bethel senior Conor Schubring and Saint John’s junior Nate Loxtercamp were selected as the Men’s Golf Co-Players of the Year, while Gustavus first-year Chris Gutuza was named Rookie of the Year, and Saint John’s head coach Bob Alpers was recognized as Coach of the Year.
Loxtercamp (Richmond, Minn. | Melrose Area) earned MIAC medalist honors at the conference championship meet in October 2022 and will head into NCAA Championship competition next week with a scoring average of 73.6 over 20 rounds of play on the season. He competed in nine events in 2022-23, placing in the top 10 in six, the top five in four, and winning two tournaments. He is the 13th Johnnie to receive Player of the Year honors since 2001 and the first since the 2013-14 campaign.
Schubring (St. Louis Park, Minn.) averaged 74.7 shots per round during the 2022-23 season and finished among the top 10 golfers at six of the nine meets at which he competed. He placed among the top five at four meets and earned one medalist honor as well. Schubring is the first-ever Royal on-record to be named MIAC Player of the Year in men’s golf.
Gutuza (Johannesburg, South Africa) played 20 rounds of golf in his debut season for the Gusties, averaging 76.3 shots at the nine events he attended. Gutuza had two top 10 showings and placed among the top five once. He is the eighth Gustavus player to receive MIAC Rookie of the Year honors and the first since the 2018-19 season.
Alpers (25th season) was celebrated by his peers with MIAC Men's Golf Coach of the Year honors for the 14th time in his career. Alpers guided the Johnnies to the program’s 20th berth in the NCAA Championships by virtue of winning the MIAC title last October. SJU overcame a 10-shot deficit at the start of the championship’s final round to win the program’s third consecutive crown by 13 strokes.
The MIAC Men's Golf All-Conference team was selected using a combination of MIAC championship results and end-of-season voting. The top 10 finishers (including ties) at the MIAC Championship last fall automatically earned All-MIAC honors, and coaches nominated and voted on five additional players to the All-MIAC squad based on their body of work throughout the season. The conference also recognized honorable mention selections, bestowing the accolade upon any individual who did not place among the top-five vote-getters but still received votes from at least three coaches.
Four players – Augsburg’s Stellan Orvick and Saint John’s Sam Berger, Thomas Gutzmer, and Nate Loxtercamp – received All-MIAC distinction for the third time in their careers, a feat achieved by just 43 individuals in recorded MIAC men’s golf history.
2022-23 MIAC Men’s Golf Awards
| 2022-23 MIAC Men’s Golf Co-Players of the Year |
| Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown | High School |
Previous Selections |
| Nate Loxtercamp |
Saint John’s |
Jr. |
Richmond, Minn. | Melrose Area |
-- |
| Conor Schubring |
Bethel |
Sr. |
St. Louis Park, Minn. |
-- |
| 2022-23 MIAC Men’s Golf Rookie of the Year |
| Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown | High School |
| Chris Gutuza |
Gustavus |
Fy. |
Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 2022-23 MIAC Men’s Golf Coach of the Year |
| Name |
Institution |
Previous Selections |
| Bob Alpers |
Saint John’s |
1999 | 2000 | 2002 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2014 | 2017 | 2019 | 2021 |
| 2022-23 MIAC Men’s Golf All-Conference |
| Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown | High School |
Previous Honors |
| James Berger |
Carleton |
Sr. |
Los Altos Hills, Calif. | Gunn |
2018 (HM) | 2021 |
| Sam Berger |
Saint John’s |
Jr. |
Waconia, Minn. |
2019 | 2021 |
| Andrew Boemer |
Saint John’s |
So. |
Eagan, Minn. | St. Thomas Academy |
-- |
| Chris Gutuza |
Gustavus |
Fy. |
Johannesburg, South Africa |
-- |
| Thomas Gutzmer |
Saint John’s |
Sr. |
Jordan, Minn. |
2021 | 2022 |
| Will Karkoc |
Bethel |
So. |
Maple Grove, Minn. |
2021 |
| Teddy Kaste |
Gustavus |
So. |
Apple Valley, Minn. | Eastview |
-- |
| Nate Loxtercamp |
Saint John’s |
Jr. |
Richmond, Minn. | Melrose Area |
2019 | 2021 |
| Anderson Murphy |
Carleton |
Sr. |
Coral Gables, Fla. | Ransom Everglades |
2021 (HM) | 2022 |
| Landon Olson |
Concordia |
Fy. |
Fargo, N.D. | North |
-- |
| Stellan Orvick |
Augsburg |
Jr. |
Minneapolis, Minn. | Washburn |
2021 | 2022 |
| Conor Schubring |
Bethel |
Sr. |
St. Louis Park, Minn. |
-- |
| Blake Schuler |
Saint John’s |
Jr. |
Waconia, Minn. |
2021 |
| Sam Skaar |
Gustavus |
Sr. |
Coleraine, Minn. | Greenway |
-- |
| Wyatt Wasko |
Gustavus |
Sr. |
Lake Elmo, Minn. | Stillwater |
2021 |
| 2022-23 MIAC Men’s Golf Honorable Mention |
| Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown | High School |
Previous Honors |
| Ryan Choi |
Carleton |
So. |
Cockeysville, Md. | Dulaney |
-- |