FERRIS STATE MEN’S GOLF ANNOUNCES TEAM AWARDS

Balog Named Most Valuable Player; Griffin Receives Bulldog Award

Sophomore Alex Balog (Trenton) of the Ferris State University men’s golf team has been chosen as the Bulldogs’ Most Valuable Player for the 2004-05 season while junior Todd Griffin (Shelby) was named the recipient of the Bulldog Award as announced by sixth-year FSU head coach Brad Bedortha.

Alex Balog, a 2004-05 first-team All-GLIAC selection, was named Ferris State's Most Valuable Player.

A 2005 PING Division II All-Great Lakes Region selection, Balog averaged a team-best and career-high 74.46 strokes (1,936 total strokes) in 26 rounds of play this season. He placed among the top 10 in five tournaments this campaign and turned in three top-five place efforts. Balog’s best outing was a second-place 223 three-round score at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championships (Oct. 9-10) in Coldwater, Mich. An All-GLIAC First-Team pick this season, Balog was the Bulldogs’ top golfer in seven tourneys and paced Ferris in five consecutive tournaments (Oct. 9-Apr. 17). He was the squad’s top finisher at the Ferris State Invitational (Sept. 17) with a third-place showing after carding a two-round 144 stroke total. In his final tourney this campaign, Balog fired a three-round 235 score to tie for 28th place at the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional (May 2-4) in St. Joseph, Mo. For his career, Balog is averaging 76.41 strokes per round (3,235 total strokes) in 43 rounds. He has compiled 12 top 20 placings in his Ferris career, including six top five performances.

Griffin was bestowed with the team’s Bulldog Award, which is presented annually to a men’s golf team member who demonstrates the most dedication and hard work throughout the season. Griffin, the younger brother of 2003-04 team MVP Chris Griffin, attained All-GLIAC Second-Team laurels this season in his first year of varsity competition as a result of recording a team fourth-place 75.87 strokes average (1,745 total strokes) in 23 rounds. He totaled four top-10 efforts and three top-five finishes, highlighted by earning top individual medalist honors at the NCAA-II Great Lakes Region Tournament I (Sept. 26-27) with a two-round 141 score. Griffin generated a 230 score at the three-round 2004-05 GLIAC Championships to tie for seventh place.

Todd Griffin, a 2004-05 All-GLIAC Second-Team honoree, was the winner of Ferris' Bulldog Award.

The pair played a key role in helping Ferris State capture its 18th GLIAC Championship title this last fall and the program’s first since 2001. The Bulldogs were automatic qualifiers for the 2005 NCAA-II Great Lakes Super Regional and concluded this campaign with a fourth-place tying 915 stroke team total at the postseason tourney.