SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced its men's golf award winners in a release Tuesday, showcasing four Yellowjackets who just collected the program's fifth conference championship.
 
Spearheading the list was freshman Blu Anderson (Amery, Wis./Amery), who was named the circuit's Rookie of the Year. He was also named to the All-UMAC First Team.
 
Anderson was accompanied by teammates Nate Burke (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld), Andrew Rude (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) and Conner Willard (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) on the conference's first team list. Paul Eberhardt was tabbed as the UMAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time as Yellowjacket head coach.
 
Rude was also the Yellowjackets' representative on the UMAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
 
Anderson emerged on the collegiate golf scene and fared well, competing in all 14 rounds of play. He carded his lowest scores of 70 in the second rounds of the Augsburg Fall Invitational and the Twin Ports Collegiate. Anderson won the MLC Invite with his one-under 71, finished in the top five on three occasions, and placed in the top ten five times.
 
Burke capped his fall on a strong note, finishing as the top shooter for the Yellowjackets in the UMAC Championship. His score of 228 found him in third place, just one stroke away from entering a playoff to crown the tournament's individual medalist. His lowest round came at the MLC Invite, also carding a one-under 71. He ended his fall with a team-leading scoring average of 76.29, finishing in the top five in three separate tournaments while finishing in the top ten four times.
 
Rude finished third on the team with a scoring average of 78.43, landing him three finishes in the top five and top ten. He fired his lowest round of 72 during round one of the Twin Ports Collegiate, ending the tournament with a share of fourth place after shooting a 147 on the weekend. In the UMAC Championship, he capped his season with a 74-81-75, good for sole possession of fourth place.
 
Willard began his fall on a huge note, leading the Yellowjackets to a victory of the Twin Ports Collegiate. The Yellowjacket junior shot a 71 in round one and a 73 in round two for a first-place finish on his way to being named the UMAC Men's Golf Athlete of the Week. Willard compiled a scoring average of 78.67 and found himself in the top five on two separate occasions and the top ten in three tournaments.
 
The Yellowjackets won their fifth UMAC Championship after defeating Northwestern by 16 strokes. After partaking in spring tournaments, the 'Jackets will enter the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships, scheduled for May 14-17 at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nev.