Led by senior Joel Sjoholm who claimed the individual title at 12-under par, the 48th-ranked Georgia State University men's golf team claimed first at the 2008 Colonial Athletic Championships after posting a third-round team score of 274 at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va.

The Panthers' round of 274 (-10) tied the second-lowest round in school history, as the team captured the CAA Championship by 25 strokes over Old Dominion. Four Panthers shot par or better in the final round including Sjoholm, the nation's fourth ranked player and 2008 CAA Golfer of the Year, who posted his third-consecutive round in the 60s (65-68-68 ? 201, -12) to claim the individual crown.

“This tournament was a team effort and it was fun,” said Sjoholm, who claimed his third individual title of the year, tying State's previous best set by Mark Haastrup in 2005-06. “We struggled a bit back and forth in the beginning as a team, but I was playing well and everybody else caught up and the team put together an amazing round today. Truth be told, it was a team effort and we had a great time.”

In addition to State's round of 274 tying the second-lowest round in school history, the 25-stroke margin of victory is the second largest in State's history.

“It was just a good day all in all,” said Georgia State head coach Matt Clark. “We had a bit of a rain delay and when we got started again the guys were calm and got a lot of birdies. It was exciting to see everyone on the team shoot a good score to contribute. Not only did we win the conference, but we took another step towards proving we're one of the best teams in the country.”

With the victory, the Panthers earn an automatic berth to the 2008 NCAA Regionals and claim their sixth conference championship since 1998. This marks Georgia State's second CAA title since joining the league in 2005-06.

“Based on my ranking, I knew I was going to be going to the postseason, but I didn't want to go without the team,” added Sjoholm. “We went out there as a team and proved we deserve to go to Regionals.”

In addition to Sjoholm's first-place finish, two other Panthers finished in the top 10 as sophomore Tom Sherreard claimed fourth overall with a third-round score of 68 (-3), while sophomore Maurice Jordan took seventh after a round of four-under par 67, a new career best.

Freshman Brent Paul claimed a tie for 19th with an even-par round of 71 that featured an eagle on the par-four 17th hole, his third eagle of the tournament. Freshman Alex Castro claimed a tie for 23rd after a round of 76 (+5).

As a team, the Panthers' team score improved in each round and the team finished with a three-round team score of 843 (-9), 25 strokes ahead of second-place Old Dominion (868, +16).

In three rounds of play, Sjoholm carded 18 birdies on the par-71, 6,738-yard Gold Course at the Golden Horseshoe. The senior was recently named a semifinalist for the 2008 Ben Hogan Award is on the watch list for the 2008 Jack Nicklaus Award.

“[Joel Sjoholm] has had an amazing year,” added Clark. “He finished his conference career the way he should have, on top, It's exciting to see all his hard work pay off with three tournament wins this year. He absolutely controlled a golf course that hosted the Nationals last year.”

NCAA Regional play begins on Thursday, May 15. Check GeorgiaStateSports.com for updates leading up to the postseason event.

Georgia State Individual Scores:
1 ? Joel Sjoholm ? 65-68-68 ? 201, -12*
4 ? Tom Sherreard ? 73-70-68 ? 211, -2*
7 ? Maurice Jordan ? 75-72-67 ? 214, +1
T19 ? Brent Paul ? 76-75-71 ? 222, +9
T23 ? Alex Castro ? 77-70-76 ? 223, +10

*Sjoholm and Sherreard garnared All-Tournament honors for finishing in the top-five overall and Sjoholm was named Most Outstanding Performer.

Team Scores: