Nov. 9, 2011

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV senior Derek Ernst has been selected as the Mountain West Men's Golfer of the Month for October, the league announced Wednesday.

Ernst earned three top-five finishes and led UNLV to a pair of team titles during the month. This is his fourth career golfer of the month award.

The Rebels won the William H. Tucker Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M., on Sept. 30-Oct. 1, outpacing host New Mexico by four strokes. Ernst finished tied for third with a 1-under-par 215 (69-73-73) on the par 72, 7,562-yard UNM Championship Course. In his second tournament of the month, Ernst placed third at the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate in Birmingham, Ala., on Oct. 3-4. He carded a 4-under 206 (70-65-71) on the par 70, 7,204-yard Old Overton Golf Course. As a team, UNLV finished sixth.

Ernst concluded the month with a fourth-place finish at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate held at the New Mexico State Golf Course in Las Cruces, N.M., on Oct. 24-25. He posted a 9-under 204 (65-69-70) on the par 71, 7,074-yard course. His first-round 65 tied as the low-round of the tournament and UNLV won the team title by eight strokes over Wichita State with a program-record-tying low score of 34-under.

For the month, Ernst recorded scores of 70 or better in six of nine rounds played and posted a scoring average of 69.44.

UNLV won three of the four events its competed in during the fall, which set a program record for most wins during a fall season.