NORMAN, Okla. -- For the second year in a row, a Christopher Newport golfer was included among the semifinalists for the Division III Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award presented by Barbasol, as Christopher Newport sophomore David Rabil collects the honor in 2017. The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced the list of 30 semifinalists from around the nation on Friday afternoon, listing Rabil among those up for the prestigious honor.

Rabil joins teammate Harry Nodwell as the only Captains to ever distinguish themselves among the nation's elite as semifinalists for the Jack Nicklause National Player of the Year Award. He is one of only five sophomores and eight underclassmen to be recognized as semifinalists for the honor. 

The list of semifinalists will be pared down and finalists for Division III will be named at the GCAA Division III National Awards Banquet on May16. Nicklaus Award recipients will be announced June 1 with the award presented by Jack Nicklaus at a ceremony during the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance at Muirfield Village Golf Club. 

Rabil (Fairfax, Va.), was named the Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year after earning his fourth individual medalist honors of the season at the 2017 CAC Championship. He is the fourth consecutive conference champ for CNU and subsequent Player of the Year, while also collecting his second All-Conference designation in as many years. 

The sophomore lefty has put up an historically great performance in 2016-17, primed to set the program record for scoring average. He has picked up four wins this season, including a co-medalist finish at the Callaway Gardens Intercollegiate in a field of over 100 golfers. He also won the VSGA Intercollegiate, Glenn Heath Shipbuilders' Memorial, and the CAC Championship. 

Rabil set a new league and school record for single-round scoring during the Golfweek Division III Fall Invitational when he signed for a 7-under 64 on the way to a 10th place finish. He added an 11-under tournament performance the very next week, tying the program record for low tournament score (133), and set the mark in relation to par at 11-under. 

This season, Rabil is averaging 72.4 strokes per round, in line to shatter the previous school record. He has finished in the top ten in six of his eight events played, including five top five efforts. His success has helped lead CNU back into the Top 25 nationally, ranked No. 23 overall, and back into the NCAA Division III National Championship for the second straight year. 

Division III Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award presented by Barbasol Semifinalists
Jacob Arnett, Oglethorpe 
Jarrod Brown, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Craig Decato, Methodist
Ryan Elmore, Berry
Mack Farley, St. John's (MN)
Ryan Gallagher, St. John's (MN)
Josh Gibson, Hope 
Levi Grogan, Greensboro
Brady Hanson, Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Blake Hartford, Schreiner 
Mats Heien, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Sam Hill, UT Tyler
Seger Howell, Concordia (TX) 
Davis Jensen, Methodist
Addison Lambeth, Huntingdon
Logan Lanier, LaGrange
Conner O'Neil, Illinois Wesleyan
Matt Organisak, Emory
Grant Powell, Greensboro 
George Qian, Carnegie Mellon
David Rabil, Christopher Newport
Brandon Rougeau, UT Tyler
Jonathan Shaw, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Kyle Shealy, Oglethorpe
Matt Shuman, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Sam Stilwell, Wittenberg
Mason Stutler, Methodist
Osborn Theam, LaGrange
Will Thrash, Huntingdon
John Van Noord, Calvin