James Blackwell

Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Buffalo, N.Y.
High School:
St. Joe's Collegiate Institute

Career Honors
• Ball State Earl Yestingsmeier Student-Athlete Award (2016)

2015-16 (Sr.) Competed in every event and finished third on the team with a 75.62 stroke average … capped his career with a fifth-place finish in the men’s individual invitational portion of the PGA Minority Collegiate Championships … posted four top-20 finishes on the season … recorded a career-best round of 68 and a career-low 54-hole total of 216 at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic (Sept. 21-22) … tied for 19th at that event … led Ball State the next week with a tie for 12th at Wisconsin’s Badger Invitational (Sept. 27-29) … placed 18th at Ball State’s Earl Yestingsmeier Memorial Invitational (April 15-16) … went 2-1-0 at the Earl Yestingsmeier Match Play (Feb. 8-9).

2014-15 (Jr.): Competed in seven stroke play events and managed a 78.26 scoring average … posted a 2-0-0 record at the Earl Yestingsmeier Match Play … had his best stroke play result with a tie for 32nd at the Northern Intercollegiate … tied for 39th at the FGCU Classic … managed his low round of the year with a 72 at the Notre Dame Kickoff Challenge and matched it on the final day of the Firestone Invitational … had his best 54-hole score of the year with a 229 at the Northern Intercollegiate.

2013-14 (So.): Managed a 77.19 scoring average over 10 stroke-play events … led Ball State with a tie for 13th at the MAC Championships (May 2-4), marking his best result of the season ... fired a season-best round of 70 on day two of the MAC Championships ... went 2-0-1 at the Mid-American Match Play (Feb. 10-11) to help Ball State to the title ... earned a critical halve in his second-round match to help the Cardinals advance to the finals ... tied for 33rd at the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 6-8) with hisseason-best 54-hole score of 225 ... tied for 40th at the Pinetree Intercollegiate (Oct. 21-22) and 43rd at the Crooked Stick Intercollegiate (Oct. 14-15).

2012-13 (Fr.): Played in a total of five events and logged a 77.67 stroke average ... posted his best result with a second-place finish out of 23 golfers at the Butler Spring Invitational (April 18), where he competed as an individual ... managed his best round of the season at the Butler event with a 73 in the rain-shortened, 18-hole tournament ... competed for the first time as part of the Ball State lineup at the Golfweek Conference Challenge (Sept. 16-18), carding a 54-hole total of 232 at the event ... played as an individual at the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 8-9), the Firestone Invitational (Oct. 8-9) and the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational (Oct. 15-16) in addition to the Butler Spring Invite.

HIGH SCHOOL: Earned four varsity letters for coach Jack Herlan ... won the individual New York State Catholic Championship as a freshman in 2009 ... helped St. Joseph's to two Monsignor Martin League titles (2011 and 2012) ... named to the All-Monsignor Martin League Team all four years of his high school career.

SUMMER GOLF: Won the 2011 New York State Golf Association Junior Amateur championship ... named the 2011 Buffalo District Golf Association Junior Player of the Year and Tonawanda News Golfer of the Year ... was runner-up in the 2012 International Junior Masters, the oldest international junior invitational in North America ... advanced to the round of 16 at the International Junior Masters a year earlier ... participated in the 54th Porter Cup, an elite amateur tournament at Niagara Falls Country Club, where he was the youngest player in the field ... became the youngest player to make the cut at the New York State Men's Amateur in 2011 ... won the 2012 Buffalo District Golf Association Tournament of Champions.

PERSONAL: Son of Roger and Olivia Smith Blackwell ... three sisters and one brother ... born Dec. 30, 1993 in Buffalo, N.Y. ... father played basketball at Boston University ... full name is James Oliver Blackwell.