St. Ambrose University Men’s Golf Coach Jeff Griebel is excited to announce the signing of one of the top junior college golfers in the State of Illinois.

Jay Nelson, a sophomore at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, Illinois, has signed a letter of intent to attend St. Ambrose in the Fall 2003.  Sauk Valley is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and competes at the Division II level in the Arrowhead Athletic Conference.

Nelson is the 3rd ranked player in the nation in the current NJCAA Division II individual player rankings, based on his competitive scoring average of 71.1 in the Fall 2002.

Standing: Sauk Valley Asst. Coach: Jim Fredrick, Sauk Valley Athletic Director: Russ Damhoff, Sauk Valley President: Dr. Richard Berendt, Sauk Valley Head Coach: Dave Williams and  St. Ambrose Head Coach: Jeff Griebel                       Seated: Dan Nelson (Jay's father) and Jay Nelson

Nelson won the Highland 36 and the Illinois Valley Invitational in the Fall 2002, finishing under par in both events.  He has qualified as an individual for the NJCAA Division II National Championship in May 2003, in Phoenix, Arizona.  Nelson also competed in the NJCAA national tournament in 2002.

Nelson was named to the 2002 Arrowhead Men’s Golf All Conference Team and posted a scoring average of 73.9 his freshman season at Sauk Valley.  He is a 2001 graduate of Morrison High School (IL).

“We are very pleased to have a player the caliber of Jay Nelson joining our golf program next season, “ said Coach Griebel.  “He comes from a very talented and successful junior college program at Sauk Valley and will bring experience and confidence to our team next fall.”

Nelson will be joining a St. Ambrose golf team that has won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Region 7 Championship and qualified for the NAIA National Golf Tournament nine of the last eleven years.  St. Ambrose is ranked 15^th in the most recent NAIA Men’s Golf National Poll.