IUP Athletic Hall of Fame
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A real-life version of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” played out in the spring of 2009 when Gavin Smith captured an NCAA Division II championship at Loomis Trail Golf Club in Blaine, Wash.
The native of Stirling, Scotland, using a borrowed wedge (Smith inadvertently left his back in Indiana), was tied with Kelbi Lee of Ferris (Mich.) State after four rounds before draining a 20-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole. He became the first PSAC golfer to win an NCAA championship and the first IUP golfer to celebrate a national title in 41 years, following Rick Hrip’s first-place finish at the NAIA tournament in 1968.
Smith was a Golf Coaches Association of America first-team All-American in 2009 and 2010, a three-time all-region honoree and the only three-time Golfer of the Year in PSAC history. He was also named the PSAC Rookie of the Year in 2007. Smith is one of only three golfers to claim Golfer of the Year and Rookie of the year honors in the same season. IUP’s Graham Hill (2005) and Shaun Fedor (2020) are the others.
Smith claimed PSAC tournament individual championships in 2007 and 2009, led coach Fred Joseph’s team to three consecutive conference titles (2007-09), regional championships in 2008 and 2009 and NCAA tournament appearances in each of his last three seasons.
His career stroke average of 73.47 per round ranks No. 1 on the all-time IUP list. Smith’s 73.2 average in 2008-09 is the second-best single-season figure in school history, after Zack Kempa’s 72.4 in 2012-13. His 73.3 average in 2007-08 is tied with Kempa for third best.
He holds school records for tournaments won in a career (12, in 33 events) and in a single season (5 in 2009-10). He also finished first in four tournaments as a sophomore.
Smith, director of sales for FSP Digital Ltd. in Toronto, resides in Orangeville, Ontario, with his wife, Emily. They are expecting their first child in December.
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