SMCC Golf Congratulates Four-Year Transfers for 2022-23
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College men's and women's golf programs and head coach Chelsea Carroll would like to congratulate Sean Markham (Sonoma State University), Cecil Belisle (University of Kansas) and Emma Fisher (William Woods University) as they continue their intercollegiate golf careers at four-year institutions for the upcoming 2022-23 academic year. Belisle and Markham earned All-American honors and helped lead the Cougars to the 2022 NJCAA Division II National Championship, while Fisher helped re-launch the SMCC women's program as the squad participated at the 2022 NJCAA Southwest District Championships.
Fisher will continue her intercollegiate golf career at William Woods University, an NAIA institution in Fulton, Mo. Originally from Chandler, Ariz., and a graduate of Basha High School, Fisher played in 13 SMCC women's golf team tournaments over the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
"This is an exciting new chapter for Emma, and we are thrilled she gets to continue her college golf career at William Woods University," said Carroll. "We've talked about what it takes to play at the next level from day one, and she accepted the challenges ahead and reached her goal to play at University. It's going to be a fun step up in college golf, and with the efforts, she has put in at South Mountain CC, we know she's more than ready and will accomplish great things."
In 2022, she played in six tournaments in the 2022 spring and tied for 17th at the Paradise Valley Invitational at +52 (196). She also tied for 20th at the Chandler-Gilbert Invite at +44 (188) and finished 21st at the Pima Women's Invite at +53 (199).
Fisher finished 45th at +89 (305) at the 2022 NJCAA Southwest District Championships as the Cougar team placed eighth at the event. She later earned NJCAA First Team All-Academic and Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar honors for her work in the classroom.
Markham heads to Sonoma State University, an NCAA Division II institution in Rohnert Park, Calif. The Seawolves compete in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
"We are thrilled for Sean to continue his college golf career at Sonoma State. He continued to challenge himself from the classroom to the course with such a commitment of excellence that he now has the opportunity to take it to the next level," Carroll added. "The Seawolves are getting a great player, teammate, and all-around student-athlete. We know his hard work and accomplishments at South Mountain CC will serve as a springboard for his next chapter, and his best is yet to come."
He received PING First Team All-American honors for his play in 2022. He played in six tournaments for the 2022 NJCAA Division II National Champions and tied for 43rd at the NJCAA DII Championships at +19 (307).
Markham won twice in the spring, capturing the Estrella Mountain Invite at -5 (137) and the Paradise Valley Classic at -9 (135). He finished fifth at the Region I Championships at +4 (288), tied for ninth at the Eastern Arizona Invite at +3 (147) and tied for ninth at the Gaucho Spring Shootout at +9 (151).
Belisle won the individual NJCAA Division II National Championship in 2021 and 2022 and heads to the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan. The Jayhawks compete in the Big 12 Conference.
"Cecil continues to elevate and is always looking for new things to study and new ways to get better," Carroll said. "That tenacity is rare, and he is a remarkable student-athlete. His work ethic from the classroom to the course has prepared him for this next chapter of his college golf career. We are excited to see him take it to the next level and play for Kansas University."
The 2022 NJCAA Jack Nicklaus Award winner, Belisle is a two-time First Team NJCAA and PING All-American who competed in 13 tournaments for SMCC. In 2022, he won three times during the spring: he finished at E (288) to claim the individual National Championship and help lead his squad to the team title, won the NJCAA Region I Championship for the second-straight year at -7 (277) and won the Gaucho Spring Shootout at -1 (141).
Belisle won three tournaments during the 2021 spring season, including the NJCAA Division II National Championships, and held a scoring average of 70.36 over 14 rounds of competition.