Hitt Earns All-America Accolades

The Golf Coaches Association of America has awarded honorable mention All-America honors to University of North Carolina junior Austin Hitt.

The Longwood, Fla., native was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, leading the Tar Heels to a 19^th-place finish at the NCAA Championships and a No. 23 final ranking by Golfstat.

Hitt averaged 71.29 strokes per round, the fourth-best in UNC history. He played 20 of his 42 rounds under par, shot 13 rounds in the 60s and counted in the Tar Heels' team score 39 times. He posted a UNC-best record of 942-280 against other competitors and had five top-10 and 11 top-25 finishes in 14 tournaments.

"He played well of course, and was much improved this season, but the most impressive part about his year was why he improved," says head coach Andrew DiBitetto. "We praised Austin in a team meeting recently because of the commitment he made to get better and for his complete buy-in this year. He worked on aspects of his game, but he also worked on his strength and mobility, and he matured as a young man, as well. He stepped into a leadership role, which gave him confidence. So many people say they want to be an All-American, but few people actually do the things required to be an All American. We're proud of him. It's also a credit to our entire program, including (strength and conditioning coordinator) Erik Hernandez and (athletic trainer) Scott Oliaro."

Hitt's scoring average has improved from 73.35 as a freshman to 72.26 last year to 71.29 this season. He was runner-up this season at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate at UNC, placed fourth in San Diego, and was sixth at Louisville, Wake Forest and Arizona State.

Hitt has played in three NCAA Championships in as many years, helping the Tar Heels finish in the top 20 in each of the past two seasons, a feat matched by only one other ACC school.

"Austin's biggest challenge next year will be expectations," adds DiBitetto. "He will have his own expectations and those of his teammates and coaches, but now he has a blueprint to follow. He still has areas of his game where he can improve and he has goals to reach. He just needs to stick to his process like he has done for the past several months."

Hitt is one of 15 ACC players to earn All-America honors this season.

Players Mentioned

Austin Hitt

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