Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent Named Semifinalist For AAU James E. Sullivan Award

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Gordon Sargent. Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Vanderbilt men’s golf student-athlete Gordon Sargent has been named a semifinalist for the 93rd Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) James E. Sullivan Award.

The AAU James E. Sullivan Award honors an outstanding athlete in the United States, and has been presented annually by the AAU since 1930 as a salute to the Founder & past President of the Amateur Athletic Union and a pioneer in amateur sports, James E. Sullivan. Based on the qualities of leadership, character and sportsmanship, the award goes far beyond athletic accomplishments and honors those who have shown strong moral character as well. Winners achieve great success on a national and international stage through competition in collegiate athletics, Olympic pursuit or similar high-profile competitions.

This year’s winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on Sept. 19 at the historic New York Athletic Club, the birthplace of the AAU.

Currently the top-ranked individual in the men’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, Sargent went 3-0-1 to help the United States win the Arnold Palmer Cup last month, and will represent the country again at the 49th Walker Cup Match in September. He was the low amateur at the 2023 U.S. Open while also earning an invitation to compete at the Masters Tournament this year. He received exemptions to the Rocket Mortgage Classic and John Deere Classic, and made the cut on the PGA Tour earlier this month.

The Birmingham, Alabama, native was a finalist for the Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Haskins Awards, and was selected as the National Player of the Year by Golfweek this season. In addition to earning First-Team All-American honors from the Golf Coaches Association of America and First-Team All-Region recognition, Sargent was named the SEC Player of the Year and earned First-Team All-League honors.

Sargent competed in 12 events for the Commodores in 2022-2023, recording 11 top-10 finishes highlighted by three individual victories while posting a 68.5 scoring average. His efforts helped Vandy claim six tournament titles during the season, leading them to earn the top overall seed in the NCAA Championships.

Sargent is one of 25 semifinalists in consideration for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award this year. A week-long voting period to determine the six finalists is active and the public can now vote. Individuals will be able to submit one vote per day until 10:59 p.m. CT on July 19. For more information, click here.

Past recipients include Bobby Jones, Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, Peyton Manning, Michael Phelps, Tim Tebow and Ezekiel Elliott.

Steven Boero
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