Record-setting Kirkwood CC golfer to join Cardinals this coming fall
BSU Men's Golf to Welcome Highly-Rated JUCO Prospect Sterling McIlravy
February 04, 2020
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State men's golf team has added a nationally-ranked junior college golfer with the ability to go low to its 2020 recruiting class.
Sterling McIlravy has signed paperwork to join the Cardinals in the fall. The Solon, Iowa, product comes to Muncie via Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.
"Sterling is a dedicated student-athlete," Ball State head coach Mike Fleck said. "Maintaining a 4.0 GPA, being an exceptional athlete and winning tournaments is what attracted us to Sterling. His accomplishments in a short period of time are impressive."
McIlravy is the 20th-ranked golfer in Division II of the NJCAA, playing for a Kirkwood squad that is ranked No. 2 nationally as a team. He posted three top-5 finishes during the fall schedule and led Kirkwood to a pair of tournament titles in four events.
He won the Klocke Family Classic, matching the school record with a 6-under-par 66 in the opening round. More impressively, he broke Kirkwood's 9-hole scoring record that day with a remarkable 8-under 28. He finished the fall with a 73.55 scoring average.
McIlravy entered this season at Kirkwood off a successful summer schedule that included a tie for ninth in the U.S. Amateur qualifier at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines and a tie for 13th at the Iowa Amateur Championship at The Ridge Golf Club in Sioux Center.
"Sterling has a strong competitive drive to go along with a powerful swing," Fleck said. "He will bring successful experience and leadership to a roster full of talent. I'm excited to see Sterling and his team finish the year off strong and welcome him to our Ball State family in the fall."
McIlravy began his college career at Iowa Lakes Community College where he managed four top-3 finishes and one win in 11 starts as a freshman. Before that, he was a two-time sectional champion at Solon High School and the Iowa Junior PGA Player of the Year in 2016.
McIlravy will have two years of eligibility at Ball State. He joins an incoming crop of players that also includes Griffin Hare (Tipton, Indiana), Ali Khan (Columbus, Ohio) and Carson Orr (Yorktown, Indiana).
