Hadden Named as Third Team NAIA All-American

Kansas Wesleyan’s Ben Hadden (SR/Shawnee Mission, Kan.) has been selected as a Third Team NAIA All-American as selected by the NAIA Men’s Golf Coaches’ Association All-America Committee.

Three All-America teams of 15 student-athletes were selected.

Hadden had a phenomenal senior campaign for the Coyotes. He finished in the Top 10 in nine of 12 events this season, which included seven Top 5 finishes and three tournament victories. He carried a season scoring average of 73.4 in 29 rounds played. He was also named All-KCAC and was the NAIA National Player of the Week on April 10, after winning the Bethel College Invitational, topping a field of 100 players.

Hadden helped lead the Coyotes to the KCAC Men’s Golf Championship, the first since 1970, and a first-ever berth in the NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships. At the National Championships, the Coyotes finished 13th, a best-ever finish by a conference team in the direct qualification era, and Hadden finished tied for fourth in the individual standings, just one shot out of first place after leading the tournament for three rounds.

He was also named to the NAIA PING All-Central Region team by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

Oklahoma City led all programs for a second year in a row with four All-America winners.

Rowan Lester of Texas Wesleyan and Alec Dutkowski of Taylor (Ind.) highlight the returning first team All-Americans.

In total, 14 student-athletes earned their second-consecutive All-America honor.

Bobby Cornett of Texas Wesleyan was named the 2019 NAIA Men’s Golf National Coach of the Year after leading his team to a national championship title, the first since 1990.