Mustang Golfers Keep Piling Up Honors
Jul 13 | Women's Golf
July 13, 2005
DALLAS (SMU) - Members of the SMU women's golf team continue to pile up honors even after the season, earning awards and playing well in summer events.
Juniors-to-be Ashley Deatherage and Kristina Rothengatter were two of 199 national players to be named to the National Golf Coaches Association Division I All-American Scholar Team. The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent of all college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.50 and student-athletes must have competed in at least 66% of the college's regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year.
Team awards were also handed out recently, with Laura Cross and Jennifer Ackerson sharing Kyle O`Brien Lady Mustang MVP honors. Deatherage took the Col. Lynn B. Harding Mustang Spirit Award, while Lacey Jones was named Most Improved Player. Cross also won the Earl Stewart Jr Memorial Trophy for the lowest stroke average for the year, 75.62 for 29 rounds to edge out Jennifer Ackerson by.10. Rothengatter won the new Mustang GPA Award for GPA and stroke average combined, with a GPA of 3.46 and a stroke average of 77.64.
"Overall I thought we had another pretty successful season," said Head Coach Todd Selders. "With two invitational wins and making it to post season play for the second year in a row, it was pretty rewarding. I believe the disappointment there at the end (missing nationals by six) will help motivate the players to keep working hard. With Kate Ackerson coming in next year everyone will have to keep improving as I am anticipating a very competitive qualifier for the five spots."
On the course, six Mustangs attempted to qualify for the U.S Amateur recently. Rothengatter and Jennifer Ackerson both advanced to the Ansley Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga., for the event, Aug. 1-7. Kate Ackerson, Whitney Eckert, Jones and Deatherage all just missed the cut.
Jones shot 72-76-148-+6 in stroke play this week at the U.S. Women's Pub Links and opens the round of 64 today against Juli Wightman of Chicopee, Mass., at 10:46 a.m. For match updates, click here.
