Jay Cottam Season 2018-19

Honors & Awards

• Two-time MIAA Academic Honor Roll (2015-16, 2016-17)
• All-MIAA (2017)
• MIAA Scholar Athlete (2017)

Senior (2018-19)
Jay Cottam made his first appearance of the season for the Huskers at Big Ten Match Play in Palm Coast, Fla. The redshirt senior went a team-best 3-1 in the two-day event as the Huskers finished in fourth place, the highest finish in program history at the Big Ten Match Play Championships.

Cottam shot three consecutive rounds of 75 (+3) at the two-day Lamkin San Diego Classic. His 54-hole score of 225 (+9) was good for a tie for 50th overall and second best on the team. In his second stroke play tournament as a Husker at The Goodwin, he fired a 221 (+11) to finish second among NU golfers and 65th overall. Cottam attained a new career-best finish at the Husker Invitational on April 13, as he tied for fourth place overall after shooting a 143 (+1) over two rounds.

He finished tied for 43rd at the Hawkeye Invitational on April 21. The Hebron, Neb., native went 78-69-71 for a three-round total of 218 (+15). Cottam saved his best for last, as he completed his Husker career by tying for 16th at the Big Ten Championships (April 26-28). He shot consecutive 75's (+5) in the first two rounds before firing a 71 (+1) on day three to complete his tournament with a 54-hole score of 221 (+11).

Although he will have only played one semester with the Husker men's golf team, Cottam ranks as the No. 3 golfer in Husker history for lowest career stroke average, as he finishes his Nebraska career with a 73.42 average.

Before Nebraska (Nebraska-Kearney)

Junior (2017-18)
Cottam was an All-MIAA honoree and posted a school-record 73.16 season stroke average. He played in all 25 rounds and in 12 of those he shot between 68-73. Cottam shot a 220 (73-72-75) to start the year at the Central Missouri Invite to tie for 20th.

He tied for the lead after regulation (2-under 70) at the Nebraska Intercollegiate but lost a three-person playoff for medalist honors. He had a 71 at the fall Southeast C.C. dual and shot a 140 (71-69) to win the Upper Iowa Invite in the spring. Cottam tied a 36-hole school record on his way to finishing third at the MIAA Championships with a 214 (73-68-73). This tied his career-best 54-hole score.

Sophomore (2016-17)
Cottam led the Nebraska-Kearney men's golf team with a stroke average of 75.26 on the season. His season stroke average was the 12th lowest in UNK school history and he was one of three Lopers to play all 19 rounds. Cottam shot a career-best 68 to start the year at the UNK Fall Invitational at Awarii Dunes, where he was a medalist with a 3-under par 141 and helped UNK to the team title. He shot a 69 in the opening round of the Roger Doerr Invitational in Valentine, Neb., where he placed as runner up with a 1-under par 145. Cottam placed fifth at the Nebraska Intercollegiate with an even par 149 after golfing for a 72 in round two. In the spring, his lowest round of 74 came at the Bent Tree Intercollegiate in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Cottam finished the year with All-MIAA and MIAA Scholar Athlete honors, as well as a spot on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.

Freshman (2015-16)
Cottam was the only Loper to compete in all 23 rounds of the season. He posted the second best stroke average on the team with a 76.17. Cottam finished as a medalist at the Southeast C.C. Spring Invitational and shot a round of 72 at the Beatrice C.C. He fired a 2-under par 214 (73-70-71) at the UNK Spring Invitational at Awarii Dunes, notching a third place finish and the best scores of his season in the second and third rounds. Cottam's lowest round of the fall (73) came at the Nebraska Intercollegiate, where he finished seventh overall (149). In the summer of 2016, he shot a 2-under par 140 in stroke play at the Nebraska Match Play Championships, tying him for second overall. In the match play bracket, he reached the round of 16. Cottam tied for 24th at the Nebraska Amateur Championships with a score of 301. He finished the season on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.

High School
Cottam won the 2015 Nebraska Class C state championship as a senior at Thayer Central High School in Hebron, Neb. He won a three-hole playoff by sinking a birdie on the second extra hole. Cottam shot a 3-over par 145 (73-72) in regulation at Holmes Park. In 2013, he came in second at the state championship and helped his team to a state title. In 2014, he tied for first in Class D after regulation with a score of 150. Repeating the same result from the year prior, he ended up coming in second and helping the team to a second state title. Cottam reached the quarterfinals of the 2015 Nebraska Junior Match Play Championships, where he had the lowest qualifying score at the 2014 event. He tied for fifth at the 2015 Nebraska Amateur Championships with a score of 224. Cottam also competed at the 2015 Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup matches. He was also a quarterback on the football team and a point guard on the basketball team.

Personal
Jay was born on July 17, 1996 and is a graduate transfer from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where he holds the lowest stroke average in school history. Cottam won the Nebraska Golf Association Amateur Match-Play Championship in 2017.

Huskers Statistics

Year	Rounds	Strokes	Average
2018-19	14	1,028	73.42
Career Totals	14	1,028	73.42

Career Bests
Low Round - 69 - Twice (Husker Invitational, 4/13/19), (Hawkeye Invitational, 4/21/19)
Low 54-Hole Score - 218 (Hawkeye Invitational, 4/21/19)
Best Tournament Finish - T-4th (Husker Invitational, 4/13/19)
Rounds Under Par - 2