Trio of WCU Women's Golfers Named NGCA All-American Scholars
Blaire Minter, Rachel Nelson and Malin Jansson honored
Cullowhee, N.C. - Three Western Carolina women's golfers were named to the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) All-American Division I Scholar teams. Rising seniors Blaire Minter and Rachel Nelson as well as Malin Jansson were all honored by the coaches' organization, factoring in both on-course and classroom accomplishments which included being named to the WCU Dean's List in the spring semester.
Nelson was named to the honorary squad for the third time in her WCU career while both Minter and Jansson landed on the team for the second time becoming the eighth and ninth different Catamounts to earn two-or-more selections during their career.
Since 2000, a combined 14 different Western Carolina women's golfers have garnered the NGCA All-American Scholar honor all-time including two - Brandy Andersen (2002-06) and Bianca Melone (2003-07) - who earned the recognition all four years of their collegiate careers.
All told, 566 women's collegiate golfers - up from last year's 494 honorees - across all three NCAA Divisions were recognized including 17 from six Southern Conference schools. Chattanooga led the league with four honorees while WCU, Elon and Furman each had three apiece with Appalachian State and UNC Greensboro rounding out the tally, both with two.
Minter is WCU's top returning golfer from a season ago, posting a seasonal stroke average of 77.30 in 2010-11. The Marietta, Ga., native enters her final year ranked fourth on the Catamounts' all-time career record books with a 77.06 career scoring average through 77 career rounds. Minter twice led WCU in event scoring a season ago, tallying three top-10 finishes and one inside the top five.
A native of West Chester, Ohio, Nelson ranks 14th on the WCU top individual career stroke average ledger with a 79.50 career scoring mark. She recorded a career-low score of 78.11 lasts season, pacing the squad with a 54-hole, career-low score of 224 at the Palmetto Intercollegiate. Jansson, who has transferred to Florida State during the summer months, finishes her first two years at WCU third on the career scoring charts at 76.41 while also posting two of the top 11 single-season stroke averages.
Criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics boasting a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 3.50.
Western Carolina Honorees:
Blaire Minter - Major: Psychology, GPA: 3.581
Rachel Nelson -Major: Nutrition, GPA: 3.728
Malin Jansson - Major: Psychology, GPA: 3.844
Southern Conference Honorees:
Rumbidzai Masamvu (Appalachian State) - Risk Management and Insurance
Kristina Boo (Appalachian State) - International Business
Marion Duvernay (Chattanooga) - Mechanical Engineering
Yushira Budhram (Chattanooga) - Psychology
Jordan Britt (Chattanooga) - Nursing
Maria Juliana Loza (Chattanooga) - Mechanical Engineering
Martyna Mierzwa (Elon) - International Business
Tara McFadden (Elon) - Education
Virginia Mayer (Elon) - Accounting
Aubrie Street (Furman) - Undeclared
Alexa Rancourt (Furman) - Philosophy
Stefanie Kenoyer (Furman) - Political Science
Courtney Taylor (UNCG) - Hospitality Management
Elizabeth Bundy (UNCG) - Broadcast Journalism
Boo, Masamvu Earn NGCA All-American Scholar Honors
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. - Appalachian State University women's golf sophomores Kristina Boo (Hassleholm, Sweden/Tekniska Skola) and Rumbidzai Masamvu (Harare, Zimbabwe/Dominican Convent) were named to the All-American Scholar team by the National Golf Coaches Association on Friday.
The prestigious honor is awarded only to golfers with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average through the 2010-11 season. The pair are the first Mountaineers to win the award since Mary Kate Bowman in 2009.
Boo ranked second on the squad this season with a 78.05 stroke average and three top-five finishes Her stroke average ranks fourth in the program's single-season record book. The Hassleholm, Sweden native was ASU's low scorer in 4-of-9 tournaments on the year and is the program's career leader in stroke average at 79.26 strokes per round.
Masamvu tallied just one stroke more than Boo in 22 rounds on the year to finish with 78.06 strokes per round. She tied for 11th place at the Southern Conference Tournament to lead the Apps and carded her season-low 72 at the Wendy's Charleston Southern Intercollegiate in October.
Boo and Masamvu finished second and third, respectively, in March's Low Country Intercollegiate to propel the Apps to their first tournament win since 2004. Coach Heather Brown's team finished the season with a program-record 313.41 stroke average in 2010-11, more than two strokes ahead of the former record, set in 2009-10.
Bundy, Taylor named NGCA All-American Scholars
GREENSBORO, N.C. UNCG golfers Lizzie Bundy and Courtney Taylor have been named to the National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar team, the NGCA announced on Friday.
The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.50.
Bundy, a rising sophomore from Clayton, N.C., earned a 3.70 grade-point average in Communication Studies as a freshman. A Southern Conference All-Freshman team selection, she was a solid performer on the golf course for the Spartans posting an 80.44 stroke average while competing in all 10 tournaments.
Taylor, a rising junior from Gastonia, N.C., owns a 3.66 cumulative grade-point average in Travel and Tourism Management. The 2010 SoCon Freshman of the Year, Taylor registered a 78.25 stroke average in 2010-11 while participating in all 10 events.
Trio of Paladins Named To NGCA All-American Scholar Team
Greenville, S.C. -- Furman women's golfers Stefanie Kenoyer, Alexa Rancourt and Aubrie Street were named to the National Golf Coaches Association's All-American Scholar Team, it was announced earlier this week.
Kenoyer, who earned All-Southern Conference honors for the fourth straight season, led the Paladins with a 75.6 stroke average. She posted a 3.79 GPA and graduated with a degree in political science before joining the LPGA's Futures Tour earlier this summer.
Rancourt, who sports a 3.62 GPA in philosophy, compiled a 77.9 stroke average and posted two top-10 finishes during the 2010-11 season. Street, a freshman, fashioned a 3.55 GPA during her first year as a Paladin while playing in six tournaments.
A total of 566 golfers in Divisions I, II and III were named to the All-American Scholar Team by meeting the minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA.
Four Mocs Women Golfers Earn All-American Scholar
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Four Chattanooga Mocs earned All-American Scholar honors from the National Golf Coaches Association. Junior Maria Juliana Loza (Bucaramanga, Colombia) repeated on the team and was joined by a trio of freshmen: Jordan Britt (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Yushira Budhram (Johannesburg, South Africa) and Marion Duvernay (Publier, France).
"I am very pleased to have four of our six ladies recognized for their efforts in the classroom," stated head coach Colette Murray. "If it were any other sport, all six would have made the list. The NGCA requires a minimum 3.5 grade point average. Two just missed...all six team members are at 3.33 or higher."
All six Chattanooga women's golfers made the Dean's List in 2010-11. Seniors Emma de Groot (Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia) and Christine Wolf (Igls, Austria) add their names to the quartet above. Loza and de Groot each posted 4.0 grade point averages this year. Loza, a native of Colombia, has recorded an A in every class in her six semesters except one, English.
Loza and Duvernay are mechanical engineering majors. Budhram and Britt have gone the medical route. Budhram is majoring in psychology, while Britt is in the nursing program.
Chattanooga dominated on the course as well as in the classroom in 2010-11. The Mocs had tied for a team best with four wins including repeating as Southern Conference Champions. Wolf and de Groot each claimed medalist honors with de Groot becoming the first individual SoCon women's champ in school history.
UTC returned to NCAA Regional play for the fourth time in four years since the program was re-instated. It was the third consecutive appearance as a team tying for 12th at the NCAA Central Regional. Loza just missed advancing to the NCAA Championship as an individual birdieing her final three holes - four of last six - to get into a playoff losing the berth on the first extra hole.
Program-Record Three Women's Golfers Earn NGCA Academic Honors
ELON, N.C. -- An Elon-record three women's golfers have been honored as members of the NGCA All-America Scholar Team which is presented annually by The National Golf Coaches Association. Senior Tara McFadden earned the second selection of her career while junior Virginia Mayer and sophomore Martyna Mierzwa both collected the accolade for the first time in their tenures at Elon.
The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.50 and athletes had to compete in at least 50 percent of their team's rounds.
McFadden, who graduated in May with a 3.93 GPA in education, was an All-Southern Conference honoree and averaged a 76.15 over 26 rounds this season. A native of Thomasburg, Ontario, Canada, McFadden had three top-10 finishes in 10 tournaments. She claimed medalist honors after firing a three-round mark of 215 at the Sea Trail Intercollegiate event in September.
Mayer boasts a 4.0 GPA while majoring in finance/accounting. A Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District III selection, Mayer is a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, Beta Gamma Sigma and Beta Alpha Psi, of which she is the president. She has been a SoCon Academic Honor Roll member and has served on Elon's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was a recipient of the Coleman Lew Leadership Award from the Southern Conference. Mayer was recognized this year with Elon's A.L. Hook Scholar-Athlete award which is bestowed upon both the male and female junior or senior athletes that sport the highest GPA among the more than 350 Phoenix student-athletes. On the links, the Charlotte, N.C. resident participated in 10 tournaments for the Phoenix, garnering four top-seven finishes. Over her 27 rounds, Mayer averaged a 76.26. Her best round of the year was a 70 at the Great Smokies Collegiate where she placed in a tie for fourth individually with a two-round score of 142. Her performances helped Elon to eight top-10 team finishes in 10 events.
Mierzwa, a native of Poznan, Poland, carries a 3.58 GPA as an international business major. Mierzwa averaged a 77.08 in 24 rounds over nine tournaments for the Phoenix. She notched five top-15 finishes, including a ninth-place showing with a three-round score of 222 at the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate. Mierzwa tied for 12th in a field of 121 golfers at the UC Spring Invitational in Crystal River, Fla. in March by carding a three-day score of 224 (76-72-76). That performance lifted her to SoCon Player of the Week honors.
Founded in 1983, the NGCA is a non-profit organization that represents women's collegiate golf coaches. The NGCA represents nearly 500 coaches throughout the United States and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.