MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Senior Etienne Papineau of the West Virginia golf team has announced that he will return for another year of eligibility in the 2020-21 season.
This decision comes after the NCAA announced that all spring sport student-athletes were granted another year of eligibility due to the cancellation of the remainder of spring competition in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have thought about it a lot, and I wanted to make a reasoned decision,” Papineau said. “I think it is a great opportunity for me to come back and complete my MBA while playing one of the best schedules in the NCAA. I am extrememly grateful that Coach (Sean) Covich, Coach (Clay) Bounds and WVU gave me the opportunity to come back. After long and deep discussions with my family, girlfriend, friends and coaches, we agree that it is the best thing for me to do.
“The most important thing is after seeing how our great season ended in March, I wanted to come back and prove that we can do something special as a team.”
Papineau, a native of St-Jean-Sur-Richlieu, Quebec, Canada, was a member of just the second recruiting class after the reinstatement of the program in 2015 and has been a strong member of the lineup throughout his career. A three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree and Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar, Papineau set a 54-hole program record in 2019-20 at the Old Town Club Collegiate in September. His three-round total of 203 shaved three strokes off the previous record and was good for a sixth-place finish in the tournament.
“I am thrilled that Etienne has decided to return for another season,” Mountaineer coach Sean Covich said. “He is one of the best players in our program’s history, an honor roll student and a great teammate. Our guys love to be around him and compete with him. I am very grateful for the chance to be his coach for another year.”
