Ball State University Athletics
Bellar, Khan & Ranieri Garner Academic All-MAC Honors
June 14, 2023 | Men's Golf
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Sophomores Kash Bellar and Ali Khan along with teammate graduate senior Joey Ranieri have earned Academic All-Mid-American Conference honors with Ranieri leading with squad with a 4.0 grade point average.
The Cardinals continue to reach new heights this season on and off the course. Bellar, a business administration major earned a 3.39 GPA. Bellar, who captured the individual title at the inaugural National Golf Invitational, led the men's golf team with a 71.94 average over the course of the 2022-23 campaign. He finished 19 of his 33 total rounds at-or-below par, including a season-low round of 66 last Saturday at the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club. He also earned 2023 All-MAC Second Team honors and is a two-time career MAC Golfer of the Week.
Khan, is studying landscape architecture, owns a 3.77 gpa. He competed in 35 rounds for the Cardinals this season, ranks fourth on the men's golf team with a 73.89 average this season. He finished 10 rounds at-or-below par, including a season-low round of three-under (67) to place third at the Don Benbow Invitational with a score of six-under (204). He was also named to the 2022 Academic All-MAC squad.
Ranieri, who recently earned his graduate degree from Ball State at the 2023 spring commencement, competed in all 36 rounds for the Cardinals this season, ranked second on the men's golf team with a 72.88 average. A three-time Second Team All-MAC selection, he tallied 13 rounds at-or-below par this season, including a pair of rounds at five-under. The 2019 MAC Freshman of the Year and a four-time career MAC Golfer of the Week, Ranieri placed sixth at the Bearcat Invitational (Sept. 19-20) at four-under (209) for his best finish of the 2022-23 season.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport.
2023 Men's Golf Academic All-MAC Team
Ball State
1. Kash Bellar, Sophomore, Business Administration, 3.39
2. Ali Khan, R-Sophomore, Landscape Architecture, 3.77
3. Joey Ranieri, Graduate Student, Athletic Coaching Education, 4.00
Bowling Green
1. Dylan Fitchet, Senior, Finance, 3.92
2. Darin Hudak, Sophomore, Business Analytics and Intelligence, 3.94
3. Brandon Rattray, Junior, Finance, 3.59
Eastern Michigan
1. Patrick Deardorff, Junior, Dietetics, 3.23
2. Cam Kellett, Senior, Communications, 3.28
Kent State
1. Cade Breitenstine, Senior, Finance, 3.63
2. Jordan Gilkison, Sophomore, Business Administration, 3.89
Miami
1. Jack Ebner, Graduate Student, Business Administration, 3.68
2. Danny Fisher, Junior, Marketing, 3.36
3. Sam West, Sophomore, Business Economics, 3.82
Northern Illinois
1. Tommy Dunsire, Graduate, Leadership & Management, 3.28
2. Ben Sluzas, Sophomore, Finance, 3.23
3. Zach Place, Senior, Entrepreneurship & Social Responsibility, 3.55
Ohio
1. Sam Hogan, Sophomore, Strategic Leadership and Management, 4.00 GPA
2. Matt Daulton, Sophomore, Marketing, 3.30 GPA
3. Jack Neville, Junior, Finance, 3.30 GPA
Toledo
1. Barend Botha, Junior, Marketing, 3.62
2. NJ Botha, Senior, Accounting, 3.88
3. Jamie Tofte Nielsen, Junior, Management, 3.68
4. Palmer Yenrick, Senior, Finance, 3.76
