Casullo named to NCAA All–American Scholars List

August 15, 2017 · 0 Comments

An Aurora native is at the top of his class not only on the golf course but in the classroom as well.
Marc Casullo, fresh off his junior year at Francis Marion University in South Carolina, has been named to the Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars List for the 2016–17 season.
“Prioritizing schoolwork while travelling to tournaments was a challenge,” said Casullo, one of two members of the Patriots golf team to make the list. “Organization and time management skills are important.”
To be eligible for the list, an individual must be a junior or a senior academically, have competed in at least three full years at the collegiate level, participated in fifty per cent of his team’s competitive rounds, have a stroke-average under 76.0, and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2.
According to the team website, a recipient must also be of “high moral character” and “in good standing with his institution”, of which Casullo shows in spades, as a member of both the Beta Gamma Sigma and Chi Alpha Sigma honour societies.
He has also been named to the PBC Presidential Honor Roll three times and the FMU Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic Honor Roll six times.
Raised in Aurora, Casullo became competitive on the golf course when he attended Villanova College in King City, where he spent all four years on the school’s varsity golf team.
Placing sixth overall in his grade eleven year at OFSAA, it was in his final season that he really began to turn heads, closing out his time at Villanova with a CISAA title.
Earning Most Valuable Player three times as a Knight, he earned the opportunity to play in the NCAA’s Division-I against the nation’s top collegiate golfers.
This past season, he carded a 75.79 stroke average, while playing in all eleven events. He recorded one Top-15 finish and four top-50 finishes.
His career stroke average stands at 75.63 for 75 rounds.
Playing a mental game requiring a ton of practice, Casullo said communication is key in balancing out a busy lifestyle.
“Getting to know my professors and keeping them on track when I’m going to be away at tournaments and getting help outside of class was extremely vital to maintain good grades,” he said. “This allows me to have the time to still practice and play a lot, while also performing well in the classroom.”
The finance major, who enjoys “learning about the stock markets and investments”, will head into his senior year looking to continue his success both academically and athletically.
“If I continue to see steady improvement, my goal after university is to continue my golf career and give it a few years to see if it can potentially be a profession.”
If it doesn’t pan out, he is willing to continue to teach the game he loves and try his hand at the world of finance.

By Jake Courtepatte