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Renninger Named Patriot League's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Senior team captain Chris Renninger will attend the Stanford University School of Medicine next year.

	Senior Chris Renninger is the first golfer from Navy to be named the league's golf scholar-athlete of the year twice.

April 30, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy senior team captain Chris Renninger (Darnestown, Md.) has been named the 2008 Patriot League Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year, it was announced on Wednesday by Patriot League Executive Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich. Voted on by the league's sports information directors, Renninger is now eligible for the Patriot League Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award that will be handed out this summer, an honor in which he claimed a year ago.

Ranked No. 1 in academic order of merit among his class of more than 1,000 students, 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American Renninger boasts a 4.00 grade-point in chemistry. Having earned a 4.00 in eight consecutive semesters, he has appeared on the Commandant's List six times, including five straight semesters, has garnered Dean's List mention four times and been on the Superintendent's List three times. Additionally, Renninger is 12th among his classmates in overall order of merit, combining both the academic and military disciplines. Renninger has received a medical corps billet and upon graduation will be attending the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Renninger also capped a stellar career on the course with a strong senior season. Having played in all 10 tournaments, he owned Navy's third-lowest scoring average with a 76.9. His top event was a seventh-place finish out of 86 golfers at the Scotty Duncan Memorial in October. After earning All-Patriot League status in 2006 and 2007, Renninger finished 22nd in the Patriot League Championship to help lead Navy to its fifth overall title.

One of three Midshipmen to garner the award since 2003 (Brian Crum in 2003 and All-American Billy Hurley in 2004, he is Navy's first two-time winner of the award after claiming the honor a year ago. He is the fifth Patriot League golfer to repeat as the scholar-athlete of the year. With Renninger's selection, Navy becomes the first school to sweep the major league awards in golf since the rookie of the year honor was instituted in 2005. Last weekend, senior Erich Schoen (Sylvania, Ohio) was named the Patriot League's Most Outstanding Golfer after winning the individual title, while Ben Hayes (Carmichael, Calif.) was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year after placing third in the conference tournament. None of it would have been possible without the coaching expertise of Pat Owen who was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his career.

To be eligible for the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen are not eligible for this honor.

The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each individual sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards given out over the summer. One male and one female are selected for this honor.

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