SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman led the way with five players earning All-Southern Conference honors in a combination of voting of the conference’s nine women’s golf coaches and Golfstat rankings. Furman sophomore Natalie Srinivasan was named SoCon Player of the Year and UNCG’s Tara Bettle was named SoCon Freshman of the Year to complement the 10-member all-conference team.
Furman head coach Jeff Hull was named the SoCon Coach of the Year for the second straight season after guiding his seventh-ranked Paladins to their fourth consecutive SoCon Championship and record 17th overall.
Furman’s Srinivasan, Alice Chen, Haylee Harford, Reona Hirai and ETSU’s Loy Hee Ying automatically earned spots on the all-conference team as the top five league golfers in the Golfstat rankings. The remaining spots on the all-conference team were voted on by the coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own student-athletes. Furman’s Jacqueline Bendrick, Payton Schanen and Terese Romeo and Chattanooga’s Cristina Perez and Monica San Juan round out the team.
UNCG’s Bettle was joined by teammate Keri Kenkel, ETSU’s Tereza Melecka and Kornbongkoat Sararat, Furman’s Madison Moosa and Mercer’s Jodee Tindal on the all-freshman team, which consisted of six players due to a tie in voting.
The 2017 freshman of the year and SoCon individual champion, Srinivasan led the SoCon with a stroke average of 72.45, finishing second in this year’s SoCon Championship. Srinivasan was twice named SoCon Golfer of the Week in 2018, including April 11 when the sophomore shot a 6-over-par 222 to help lift the No. 7 Paladins to second overall in the Bryan National Collegiate. The Spartanburg, South Carolina, native finished in the top 10 in seven tournaments, placing fourth or better five different times. Srinivasan is the league’s top-ranked golfer nationally, checking in at No. 18 in the Golfstat rankings.
Bettle became just the fourth player from UNCG to claim freshman of the year honors and the first since 2012 when Fanny Cnops earned the honor. Hailing from Hohen Neuendorf, Germany, Bettle led the Spartans with a 75.61 stroke average. Bettle’s best performance came at the Starmount Forest Fall Classic, where the rookie posted a 7-over-par 223 to tie for ninth place overall.
Bendrick earned all-conference honors for the first time in her career. The senior from Mercer Island, Washington, finished in the top 10 four times this season, including a seventh-place finish at the Clemson Invitational. Bendrick won the league’s 2018 Pinnacle Award, which goes to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA on the championship-winning team.
Chen became just the 10th player in SoCon history to earn all-conference honors four times. The senior from Princeton, New Jersey, recorded a trio of top-five finishes in 2018, including a victory at the Moon Golf Invitational in which she shot a 5-under-par 211. The 2015 freshman of the year and 2016 co-player of the year finished tied for third in this year’s SoCon Championship.
Harford, who was named the 2016 freshman of the year, also tied for third at the SoCon Championship. The junior from Leavittsburg, Ohio, garnered all-conference honors for the third consecutive year.
The 2018 SoCon champion, Hirai garnered all-conference honors for the third time in her career. Improving by a stroke in each round, Hirai battled windy conditions to fire a 6-over-par 222 and win the SoCon Championship at Moss Creek Golf Club on April 17. The Summerville, South Carolina, native was named All-SoCon in both 2015 and 2017, posting a career-best 73.45 stroke average in 2018.
ETSU’s Loy claimed all-conference honors for the third year in a row, ranking third in the SoCon with a stroke average of 73.00. The junior from Johor, Malaysia, finished in the top 10 four different times this season, being named SoCon Golfer of the Week on March 21. Loy’s best outing came at the Johnie Imes Invitational, where she shot a 6-under-par 210 to finish third. For the second consecutive year, Loy earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals which begin on May 7.
Ranking in the top-10 in league scoring average, the junior duo of Romeo and Schanen represent Mercer on the all-conference squad. Schanen garnered all-conference honors for the second time in her career while Romeo was named all-conference for the first time on Tuesday. Schanen who finished third overall at the SoCon Championship, won the Idle Hour Collegiate Championship in the fall with a score of 6-over-par 222. Romeo was a consistent finisher for the Bears, ranking in the top 10 four different times this season, including tying for ninth at the SoCon Championship.
Chattanooga’s Perez and San Juan, who rank eighth and ninth in the league in scoring average, respectively, round out the all-conference team. Hailing from Pamplona, Spain, Perez garnered her first all-conference selection after finishing the season placing 13th or better in three of her last four tournaments. San Juan, who was named to the all-freshman team in 2016 and all-conference team in 2017, posted a stroke average of 75.10 in 2018.
Madison Moosa guaranteed Furman its fifth consecutive year with at least one all-freshman selection. Melecka and Sararat give ETSU an all-freshman selection for the fourth straight season while Mercer has now had at least one all-freshmen selection in three consecutive seasons. Bettle and Kenkel are the first Spartans since 2012 to be named to the all-freshman team.
2018 All-Southern Conference team
Loy Hee Ying, Jr., ETSU
Jacqueline Bendrick, Sr., Furman
Alice Chen, Sr., Furman
Haylee Harford, Jr., Furman
Reona Hirai, Sr., Furman
Natalie Srinivasan, So., Furman
Terese Romeo, Jr., Mercer
Payton Schanen, Jr., Mercer
Cristina Perez, Sr., Chattanooga
Monica San Juan, Jr., Chattanooga
2018 Southern Conference All-Freshman team (Six players due to a tie in voting)
Tereza Melecka, ETSU
Kornbongkoat Sararat, ETSU
Madison Moosa, Furman
Jodee Tindal, Mercer
Tara Bettle, UNCG
Keri Kenkel, UNCG
2018 Player of the Year
Natalie Srinivasan, So., Furman
2018 Freshman of the Year
Tara Bettle, UNCG
2018 Coach of the Year
Jeff Hull, Furman
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