U-M Adds Trio of Men's Golf Signees for 2020-21 Season
11/14/2019 11:28:00 AM | Men's Golf
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan men's golf coach Zach Barlow announced today (Thursday, Nov. 14) the signing of Will Anderson (Portage, Michigan), Ben Hoagland (Evansville, Indiana) and Jack O'Donnell (Cohasset, Massachusetts) to National of Letters of Intent for the 2020-21 season.
"The addition of Ben, Jack and Will to our program is very exciting," said Barlow. "All three are very talented golfers who love to compete and possess the high-character values we were looking for. They all possess the attributes and attitudes that complement the Michigan golf culture. We cannot wait to have them on campus and begin guiding them on their journey as a student-athletes."
Jack O'Donnell
Playing at Boston College High School, O'Donnell won co-medalist honors at the 2017 Massachusetts State championship to help the Eagles to a team title. He was named the Boston Globe's Player of the Year in 2017. During his 2018 season, O'Donnell earned medalist honors at the Cape Cod High School Invitational and was honored as the Catholic Conference Player of the Year as well as the Patriot Ledger Player of the Year.
In junior play, O'Donnell was part of the AJGA TransAmerica Academic honor roll in 2018 and was a two-time medalist at the Golfweek New England Championship in 2017 and again in 2019. The highlight of O'Donnell's 2019 season was playing in the USGA Junior Amateur Championship, where he lost in an eight-player playoff for match play.
"Playing college golf has been a goal of mine since I can remember," said O'Donnell. "I could not be happier to join Coach Barlow and Coach (Matt) Hoffman. Since the first time I talked to Coach, I knew I wanted to play for him because of his character and goals for the team. I cannot wait to get to Ann Arbor next fall and chase some championships."
Will Anderson
Playing out of Portage Central High, Anderson earned MHSAA All-State Division I first-team honors in 2018 and 2019. He qualified as an individual for the Division I Finals, finishing tied for eighth in 2018 and tying for 11th in 2019. He added a 2018 Division I regional individual title after shooting a 66. In addition to his prep golf career, Anderson was a two-time captain and four-year varsity ice hockey player.
On the junior circuit, Anderson was the runner-up at the 2018 Michigan Junior Amateur (73-66/139, -5). He qualified for the Michigan Open in 2018 and 2019 and was fifth at the 2019 Michigan Junior PGA (73-70/143, -1). In his AJGA play, Anderson tied for 12th (69-75-78/222) at the 2018 Randy Wise Junior Open and followed with an 18th-place finish in 2019 (72-76-71/219). He also was 22nd (72-71-78/221) at the UHY LLP CPA's Detroit Junior at Forest Lake.
"Having the opportunity to play golf at Michigan is a dream come true," said Anderson. "It has been my goal to be a Wolverine for as long as I can remember. I cannot wait for the fall to come."
Ben Hoagland
Hoagland is a three-year varsity golfer at Reitz Memorial High School, where he earned All-Southern Indiana Athletic Conference honors (2018, '19) and all-city honors (2017, '18, '19). Additionally, Hoagland has earned three straight academic All-SIAC and all-city recognitions (2017, '18, '19). He won the 2019 SIAC individual title after firing a 63 (-9). After a runner-up finish at the 2019 IHSAA regional (69, -3), Hoagland tied for 12th (75-74/149) at the state finals. That was his second straight appearance; he was third (72) at the regional in 2018 and tied for 40th at the finals.
In his junior play, Hoagland was the medalist at the 2019 Golfweek Junior Tour event at U-M's Radrick Farms Golf Course with a 145 (75-70) tally. He also competed in numerous additional Golfweek junior events in 2018 and 2019, earning top-10 finishes at Hermitage (2nd; 71-72/143, -1), Harmony Landing (tie-6th; 70-73/143, -1), Victoria National (tie-7th; 80-74/154), Purdue (tie-9th; 74-70/144) and Kentucky Big Blue (tie-10th; 75-72/147). Additionally, he was the 2017 runner-up and finished third in 2018 at the Indiana Junior Golf Association Age Group Championship.
"I am excited for the opportunity to continue my academic and athletic career at Michigan and for the challenges of playing in the Big Ten," said Hoagland. "Getting the chance to sign was the first step for me. Now, I am ready for the next step of getting ready to compete and make an impact any way I can."
The Wolverines will lose seniors Brent Ito and Taisei Negishi to graduation at the end of this season.
Players Mentioned
