CRONS Achiever Award - April 2012

Crons sponsors the monthly "Achiever Award," which is presented to the school recognized by a fan vote for the most notable achievement from the month prior. Below are the descriptions of each submission, along with the poll in the right-hand sidebar.

Hunter Brothers – Lipscomb Baseball Relief Pitcher

Brothers was nearly untouchable in the month of April for the Bison. The hard-throwing right-hander racked up 13 strikeouts in nine innings of relief work for Lipscomb. Brothers dominated opposing hitters holding the opponents to a .100 batting average at the dish. The redshirt freshman picked up his first collegiate win, tossing two and two thirds innings of scoreless relief against Campbell. Brothers also notched a save to open the month against A-Sun foe Kennesaw State. Brothers' most impressive outing of the month came against Western Kentucky on the road where he struck out all six batters he faced in a game that the Bison eventually won in extra-innings.

Gabriella Wahl – ETSU Women’s Golf

Wahl used a record-setting first round performance of five-under-par (67) to propel her to the Atlantic Sun Conference individual championship. She ultimately won the event in a sudden death playoff with a three-round score of three-under 213. It was the second straight tournament title for Wahl, who also captured the John Kirk/Panther Intercollegiate in the final regular tournament for the Buccaneers. Wahl’s play ultimately resulted in an at-large invitation to participate in the NCAA Central Regional later this month in Columbus, Ohio. Wahl will be only the second ETSU player to ever receive an at-large individual invitation to the NCAAs.

Sam Ryder – Stetson Men's Golf

Ryder birdied his last hole of the final day of the A-Sun Men’s Golf Championship to shoot one- under-par 71 and rally to win the individual championship. Ryder is the first Hatter to win the tournament since Tom Creavy in 1991. He will receive an automatic berth in one of next month's NCAA Regionals.

Ryder, who opened the day at two under par in third place, started on the 10th hole and went out in even par on the back nine. After a bogey on the fourth hole dropped him to +1 on the day and -1 for the tournament, he responded with birdies on the sixth and ninth holes to shoot past North Florida's duo of Kevin Aylwin and Sean Dale and ETSU's Rhys Enoch for a three-under-par finish and a two-shot victory. Ryder outplayed four of the nation's top 70 players in the GolfStat.com rankings, including #17 Dale.

Sean Dale – North Florida Men's Golf

Dale posted back-to-back runner-up finishes in North Florida’s two tournaments in the month of April. He finished with a three-day total of six-under-par 210 at the Gary Koch Invitational, then followed it up with a one-under-par 215 at the Atlantic Sun Championships. Dale boasted a stellar 70.83 stroke average for the month and recorded under-par scores in four of the six rounds played, including three rounds in the 60s. He climbed to 14^th in the country in Golfweek Rankings and helped Ospreys post team championships at both events including the program’s second A-Sun title. Dale garnered A-Sun Golfer of the Year honors for the second time and was also a unanimous first-team All-Conference selection. He was also named UNF’s Male Athlete of the Year.

As the Official Motivation and Apparel Brand of the Atlantic Sun Conference, the Crons Brand provides what it calls “high quality motivational apparel, merchandise, and accessories to inspire people to get better and constantly strive for their goals.” It also strives to reinforce positive messages to athletes about what it takes to be a winner and the importance of working harder than anyone else in order to reach their full potential. Crons communicates this message through four separate product categories: Team Gear, Lifestyle Apparel, Nutritional Products, and School Programs. Crons is a national brand with its message-themed and motivational merchandise and apparel already in use by more than 500 schools and organizations in 25 states.

Crons perpetuates its message through its Achievers Program, designed to teach students the importance of setting and achieving goals. The program focuses on fostering skills that will help young people set smart, measurable goals now and in the future – leading to academic, personal and professional success.