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July 9, 2007

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy's Chris Renninger (Darnestown, Md.), a 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, was named the Patriot League's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while five other Midshipmen were named to the league's Academic Honor Roll it was announced on Monday afternoon. Renninger is the third Naval Academy golfer to garner the honor in the last five years, joining Brian Crum (2003) and All-American Billy Hurley (2004).

Among the 42 student-athletes honored by the Patriot League, Renninger, a rising senior, was one of only two who earned a 4.00 grade-point average during the spring semester. Renninger, who is a chemistry major, stands No. 1 in his class of more than 1,000 students. He has earned a 4.00 GPA in seven consecutive semesters, while being named to the Commandant's List five times, the Dean's List four times and the Superintendent's List twice.

Renninger earned First-Team All-Patriot League honors last April after turning in a 3-over par 213 at the Patriot League Championship to finish second, just a stroke behind medalist Matt Czarnecki of Holy Cross. The two-time All-Patriot League selection finished the year with team's low average, posting a 75.6 over 21 rounds. He finished among the top 20 in five of the 10 events in which he played, while posting three top-10 finishes and a pair of top-five marks. Renninger was Navy's top finisher in four events, including his second-place finish at the Patriot League Championship and a fourth-place mark at the Navy Fall Invitational.

Five additional Navy golfers were also recognized by the Patriot League for their success in the classroom, including three repeat winners. Sophomores David Miller (Chillicothe, Ohio), Eric Stinson (Spotsylvania, Va.) and Ryan Wielgus (Bethesda, Md.) are making their second appearance on the honor roll. Miller, who earned a 3.84 GPA in quantitative economics, owned a 77.7 stroke average last year and turned in his best finish, 19th, at the Towson Fall Invitational.

Stinson produced five top-20 finishes and two top-10 marks, including his sixth-place finish at the Rehoboth Beach Invitational last fall. An oceanography major who posted a 3.53 GPA, Stinson was second on the team in stroke average with a 76.0.

After being named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2006, Wielgus was equally impressive in '07, where he turned in a 76.6 stroke average. He was one of three players on the roster who pitched a top-five effort last season, a fourth-place showing at the annual Service Academy Golf Classic in Texas. Wielgus was named to the honor roll after finishing the spring semester with a 3.75 GPA in economics.

Second-year standout Chip Hardie (Arnold, Md.) enjoyed a successful spring campaign both on and off the links. Hardie was named an All-Patriot League performer after placing sixth in the conference meet, while now being recognized for his 3.63 GPA in ocean engineering.

Navy's final member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll is rising senior Ryan Sload (Lancaster, Pa.) who boasts a 3.85 GPA in chemistry. Sload experienced his best season in a Navy uniform, producing a trio of top-20 finishes and completing the year with a 76.7 stroke average.

To be eligible for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must be a varsity letterwinner, while maintaining a 3.20 grade-point average during the spring semester.