Jonathan Cooper ’17 is the first men's golfer to be inducted into the Rhode Island College Athletic Hall of Fame. He starred for the Anchormen from 2012-16 and was a member of four consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship teams.
As a senior in 2015-16, The Berkley, Mass. native was named to the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Div. III PING Northeast All-Region Team, First Team All-New England, team MVP and First Team All-GNAC.
He finished second at the GNAC Championships with a two-day score of 157 (79, 78). Cooper captured the New England crown to lead the Anchormen to their second consecutive NEIGA Div. III New England title by shooting a two-day 147 (73, 74). He finished in a tie for 46
th, while becoming the first RIC golfer to make the cut at the NCAA Div. III National Championships (74, 74, 78, 84). He averaged a score of 76.6 in 12 competitions for the season, while shooting a season-low 72 on two separate occasions. Cooper earned a pair of medalist honors on the season. He was also named the GNAC Golfer of the Week on one occasion.
As a junior in 2014-15, Cooper was named to the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Div. III PING Northeast All-Region Team, First Team All-New England, team MVP and First Team All-GNAC, while also being crowned the GNAC Player of the Year by virtue of his first place finish at the GNAC Championship. He finished first among a field of 40 golfers to lead Rhode Island College to its fourth consecutive league title on Oct. 18-19. Cooper’s low round of the year came on the first day of the GNAC Championship when he shot an even-par 70. Cooper finished in a tie for 57th with a two-day score of 151 (74, 77; +7) to lead Rhode Island College at the NCAA National Championships played on May 12-13.
He placed fourth overall with a two-day score of 150 (76, 74; +6) to earn First Team All-New England honors as Rhode Island College captured the Div. III title at the NEIGA Championships played on Oct. 26-27. Cooper averaged a score of 75.6 in 12 competitions on the year.
As a sophomore in 2013-14, Cooper attained First Team All-GNAC status by tying for fourth overall with a score of 152 (77, 75; +10) at the 2013 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships on Oct. 19-20. In the spring, he shot a 151 (77, 74) to lead all RIC golfers with a 70th place finish at the 2014 NCAA Div. III Men's Golf Championships on May 13-14. Cooper posted a score of 151 (76, 75; +9) to earn individual medalist honors at the 2014 Wildcat Spring Invitational on April 18-19. He averaged a score of 78.1 through 14 competitions and fired a season-best score of 74 on two separate occasions.
As a freshman in 2012-13, Cooper was named the 2013 GNAC Rookie of the Year and earned All-GNAC honors after placing second among a field of 45 golfers with a two-day score of 156 (77, 79; +12) at the 2012-13 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship on October 20-21. Cooper competed at the 2013 NCAA Div. III Championships on May 14-15 and tied 177th overall with a score of 170 (85; 85; +27). He averaged a score of 80.5 through 12 competitions and carded a season-best score of 76 during the second day of competition at the Wildcat Invitational on April 21. Cooper earned GNAC Rookie of the Week honors once on the season.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from Rhode Island College in 2017. Cooper is 2012 graduate of Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School.
