Twenty-one students will receive scholarships for golf/turf management or related fields

Lawrence, Kan. (Oct. 15, 2024) – Andrew Dorland, a student at Michigan State University, is the winner of the Mendenhall Award of $6,000 in the 2024 Scholars Competition offered through the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).

The GCSAA Scholars Competition is funded by the Robert Trent Jones Endowment and administered by the GCSAA Foundation. It was developed to recognize outstanding students working toward careers in golf course management or other related areas of the golf course industry.

The scholarships range from $500 to $6,000. Applicants must be enrolled in a recognized undergraduate program in a major field related to turf management, have completed at least 24 credit hours or the equivalent of one year of full-time study of the appropriate major and be a member of GCSAA.

Dorland first became interested in turfgrass management in high school while working at a local golf course. At Michigan State University, Dorland is an active member of the MSU Turf Club and received the C.E. “Tuck” and Becky Tate Turfgrass Scholarship, administered by the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. He was also a 2023 GCSAA Scholars Competition Scholars Award winner.

In addition to school, Dorland has served as an irrigation technician at the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Country Club; interned at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.; and interned at The Club at Seven Canyons in Sedona, Ariz.

“Being awarded the Mendenhall Scholarship is a true honor,” Dorland said. “It’s a very surreal experience, and I could not be more grateful. The scholarship will help immensely when it comes to pursuing my educational goals. I thank GCSAA for giving students an opportunity to be exposed to all aspects of the turf world. There are so many different paths that turf can lead you down, and the GCSAA does a wonderful job providing a platform for everyone to succeed.”

The top award of the GCSAA Scholars Competition is named for the late Chet Mendenhall, who was a charter member of GCSAA, a past president (1948) and recipient of the association’s Distinguished Service Award (1986). Along with this award, Dorland will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2025 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, Feb. 3-6, in San Diego.

Other award winners are:

Gideon Foley, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Pennsylvania State University, Ambassador Award, $2,500

Ryan Young, Wheaton, Ill., Pennsylvania State University, Scholars Award, $2,500

Manuel Salado Fernandez, Sevilla, Spain, Pennsylvania State University, Scholars Award, $2,100

Simon Richalot, State College, Pa., Pennsylvania State University, Scholars Award, $1,100

Jake Miller, Wooster, Ohio, Ohio State University, Scholars Award, $1,100

Christopher Kelly, Cazenovia, N.Y., SUNY Delhi, Scholars Award, $1,100

Gavin Trout, Conway, S.C., Clemson University, Scholars Award, $1,100

Matthew Antunes, Smithfield, R.I., University of Connecticut, Scholars Award, $1,000

Zineb Alouani, State College, Pa., Pennsylvania State University, Scholars Award, $1,000

Matthew Brown, Troy, Mich., Michigan State University, Merit Award, $500

Joseph Wilczynski, Saline, Mich., Michigan State University, Merit Award, $500

Trenton Bortnichak, Lansing, Mich., Michigan State University, Merit Award, $500

Chase Groelle, Wauconda, Ill., Pennsylvania State University, Merit Award, $500

Cabot Ellis, Palm Desert, Calif., Texas A&M University, Merit Award, $500

Hayden Furlong, Gainesville, Va., Pennsylvania State University, Merit Award, $500

Gavin Kenning, Munster, Ind., Purdue University, Merit Award, $500

Samuel Norrenberns, Mascoutah, Ill., University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Merit Award, $500

Grace Allen, Brentwood, Calif., University of California – Riverside, Merit Award, $500

John Monnin, Senoia, Ga., Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Merit Award, $500

Cole Mason, Sparks, Nev., Rutgers University, Merit Award, $500