Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi golfer Ashley Watkins has been named the
Southland Conference Women's Golf Newcomer of the Year the league
office announced on Thursday. Watkins also earned second-team
All-Southland honors, while teammate Ashley Olynick was chosen
honorable mention
Watkins
was the Islanders top finisher when she placed ninth at last week's
Southland Conference Championship in
Beaumont with a score of 228. She finished the first day of the
tournament in second place with 1-over par 72. She then had rounds
of 81 and 75. The sophomore transfer from TCU had one top-10 finish
over the course of the regular season with a ninth-place finish at
the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic hosted by Oklahoma. She had a
77.72 average over 15 rounds this spring.
Olynick,
a junior, was named honorable mention after averaging 76.64 strokes
per 18 holes during the course of the regular season. She had two
second-place finishes during the course of the year at the ORU
Shootout and the Gainesville Shootout. Olynick was 20th at the
conference tournament with a three-round score of 235.
Nicole
Forshner of Central Arkansas was named the league's Player of the
Year after placing second at the conference tournament and was in
the top 10 at six events during the regular season. She had a 75.96
stroke average. Texas State's Linn Gustafsson was named the
Freshman of the Year after winning the conference tournament. She
had seven finishes in the top 10 and won the Nebraska tournament.
She had the best stroke average in the league at 74.50.
Mark
Akers of Texas State was the Coach of the Year.
Southland
Conference Women's Golf All-Conference
First
Team
Nicole Forshner,
Central Arkansas – Player of the Year
Linn
Gustafsson, Texas State – Freshman of the
Year
Terese Nilsson,
Lamar
Hiliary Zeigler,
Lamar
Jennifer Heinz,
Sam Houston State
Second
Team
Linda Persson,
Lamar
Maggie Welch,
McNeese State
Rebecca Sorensen,
Central Arkansas
Ashley Watkins,
A&M-Corpus Christi – Newcomer of the Year
Caitlin Bliss,
Texas State
Player of
the Year – Nicole Forshner,
Central Arkanasas
Freshman
of the Year – Linn Gustafsson, Texas
State
Newcomer
of the Year – Ashley Watkins,
A&M-Corpus Christi
Coach of
the Year – Mike Akers, Texas
State
Honorable
Mention
Channing Norton,
Lamar
Lacy McKinley,
McNeese State
Theunette Van der
Walt, Nicholls State
Landa Stewart,
SHSU
Ani Carrillo,
SHSU
Wendy Joyner,
SHSU
Laura Baker,
UTSA
Shelly Martinez,
UTSA
Ashley Olynick,
A&M-Corpus Christi
Sehee
Kim,
Texas State
