The Valparaiso University men’s golf program officially welcomed its newest member on Wednesday as Alex Heck (Greenwood, Ind. / Center Grove) has signed his National Letter of Intent to join the team for the 2020-2021 academic and athletic year.

“Our program is thrilled to welcome Alex as the newest member of the team,” Valpo head coach Dave Gring said. “Our players and coaches have been eagerly looking forward to Alex joining our team and each one of us knows that he will be an impact player for us starting his freshman year. He has surrounded himself with a tremendous support system throughout his high school career, from his coaches and teammates to his family and teachers. Alex has a wonderful family, with his parents, his grandparents and his older brother providing exceptional support and encouragement for him throughout all of his classroom activities and golf tournaments.”

Heck has been a part of a successful Center Grove program, leading the team to three sectional titles, three regional crowns, the 2017 state championship and state runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019.

A three-time varsity letter winner and two-time all-county honoree, Heck was named the 2019 Johnson County Player of the Year. He has twice earned all-conference accolades and was the 2019 individual sectional champion (-2, 70) and the 2019 individual regional champion (-3, 69), making him the only player in the state to win both sectionals and regionals. Other individual honors include 2017 Center Grove High School Golf Freshman of the Year, 2018 Center Grove Mental Attitude Award Winner and 2019 Center Grove Golf MVP.

“This young man is a winner, and we love the energy and excitement he will bring to our team,” Gring said. “He is in the middle of one of the best junior/senior years in high school that I've ever seen, winning a lot of tournaments during the spring season of his junior year and during this past summer. His wedge game and putting are exceptional and his accuracy off the tee and into greens is excellent. He knows how to close rounds and tournaments and play through adversity. Most importantly, he really enjoys playing golf and his attitude is fabulous. We are blessed with his addition to the team and we will look forward to having him on campus with us next year.”

Heck had seven wins in 2019 including a victory on the Golfweek Junior Tour and three on the Indiana Junior Tour. He won the 2019 Legends Golf Club Championship, shooting 68-64 (-12). His impressive resume also includes five top international placings, which came at the 2018 Optimist International Championship (22^nd/133), the Canadian World Junior Challenge (15^th/70), the 2019 Innisbrook Easter Classic (10^th/59), the 2019 Bubba Conlee National Junior Golf Tournament (38^th/124) and the 2019 Golfweek International Invite (15^th/74). His top national placing was fifth in a 59-golfer field at the 2019 AJGA Junior at Knollwood presented by Yoder Oil.

Also a standout in the classroom, Heck plans to study business/engineering at Valpo. He holds a weighted grade point average of 4.1, is a three-time academic all-conference recipient and is a member of Spanish Honor Society and the Academy of Finance.

“Alex is a balanced young man, performing at a very high level both on the golf course and in the classroom,” Gring said. “He’s already a terrific fit for our program. I’ve deeply admired how well he has done in his classes and with his grades while executing a rigorous practice and tournament schedule throughout the year. He somehow finds time to make excellent grades, win golf tournaments, participate in extracurricular activities and spend time with friends and family - and he enjoys all of it in the process.”