Ducks Dole Out Team Awards
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EUGENE – After wrapping up one of its most impressive seasons ever, the University of Oregon women’s golf team announced its annual team award winners at its season-end dinner this week.
For the second straight season, senior Kendra Little claimed the Renee Mack Award as the team’s Player of the Year after capping one of its most distinguished careers. Oregon’s first three-time All-Pac-10 Second-Team choice finished her tenure with program records for career wins (4), rounds (134), scoring average (74.62), scoring average (+2.78 vs par), rounds of par or better (40) and counting score percentage (92.5).
This season, the Eugene, Ore., native led UO in six tournaments and 13 rounds; shot five under-par and four par totals among her 33 rounds; and posted three, top-10 placings in the Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational (fourth, 74-72-4-220), Pac-10 Championships (sixth-tie, 72-77-68-217) and Ptarmigan Ram Classic (seventh, 68-74-72-214).
Senior Erica Omlid received the Most Improved Player Award for the second time after she first received the honor as a freshman in 2007-08. The Springfield, Ore., native led UO in 2010-11 in scoring average (74.75) with its best-ever mark vs. par (+2.62). She celebrated her first career win and Oregon’s 28th ever last fall in the Dick McGuire Branch Law Firm Invitational with her eight-under score (70-72-69-211) – also UO’s second-best ever.
In April, she claimed her fourth round of par or better with her one-under 71 from the Pac-10 Championships, and her 74.5% finish percentage led the team this season and ranked 10th-best all-time for UO. Career-wise, she ranked top 15 all-time for Oregon in rounds played (14th, 96) and scoring average (15th, +5.70 vs. par, 77.58).
Omlid also received the team’s ‘Iron Duck’ Strength and Conditioning Award chosen by the team’s strength and conditioning coordinator Joel Favor.
Senior Monika Graf was honored by her teammates with the Jim Manczak Award for its most inspirational player. The East Wenatchee, Wash., native had fought through injuries in recent seasons to still play 17 career tournaments for the squad. She owned the team’s top GPA (3.65) and received a prestigious summer internship with the NCAA with its championship administration division.
Four returnees earned Scholar-Athlete Awards for maintaining 3.0 GPA’s the last three terms – Graf, Hickle, Omlid and Sills.
Team-wise, the Ducks capped the season last month with a ninth-place finish in the NCAA West Regional (302-301-306-909) – two places better than its pre-meet seeding and one stroke shy of tying for the last NCAA Championships invite.
The eight-person Oregon squad sported its all-time season best-average (299.64) – more than a stroke better than its previous best (300.97, 2008-09). The Ducks scored two tournament victories – its 23rd and 24th all-time - in the Dick McGuire / Branch Law Firm Invitational (295-296-290-881 (+5)) and Pacific Coast Intercollegiate (304-297-290-891).
The Ducks tied their school record tournament score (five-over) in the former tourney, and also posted its third- and fifth-best ever scores in the Ptarmigan Ram Classic (eight-over) and Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown (13-over), respectively.
Ranked in the top 35 all season by GolfStat and/or Golfweek, Oregon also posted eight of its 16 best team rounds ever that ranged from second-best (2-under) to ninth-best (2-over).
Individually, UO combined on four of the team’s 15 all-time best rounds of four-under or better, and its second- and fourth-best individual tourney scores from Omlid (8-under) and freshman Raphaela Dyer (3-under).
Among other season results, Omlid’s win was among nine top-10 placings that also came from Little (4), Dyer (2) and junior Ashley Edwards (1) and sophomore Cheyenne Hickle (1).
Over the course of the team’s 11 tournaments, players scored 18 under-par and eight par rounds, courtesy of Little (5/4), Edwards (5/2), Omlid (4/-), Dyer (3/-) and Hickle (1/2).
Looking ahead to their third season under head coach Ria Scott, the Ducks tentatively open their fall season in the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Vail, Colo., Sept. 19-21.
ALL-TIME TEAM OREGON WOMEN’S GOLF AWARDS
Most Valuable Player
2011 Kendra Little
2010 Kendra Little
2009 Cathryn Bristow
2008 Cathryn Bristow
2007 Kim McCready
2006 Cathryn Bristow
2005 Johnna Nealy
2004 Johnna Nealy
2003 Therese Wenslow
2002 Kathy Cho
2001 Jerilyn White
2000 Jerilyn White
1999 Karen Bristow
1998 Paula Patterson
1997 Paula Patterson
1996 Christel Tomori
1995 Shannon Hare
1994 Karly Mills
Most Improved Award
2011 Erica Omlid
2010 Avery Sills
2009 Monika Graf
2008 Erica Omlid, Kate Hildahl
2007 Cathleen Ward
2006 Erin Andrews
2005 Victoria Wenslow
2004 Michelle Timpani
2003 Annie Davis
2002 Jess Carlyon
2001 Lacy Erickson
2000 Angie Rizzo
1999 Pam Sowden
1998 Dawn Berry
1997 Karen Bristow
1996 Karen Bristow
1995 Susie Roh
1994 Shannon Hare
Jim Manczak Most Inspirational Award
2011 Monika Graf
2010 Ashley Sills
2009 Blair Ressler
2008 Cathryn Bristow
2007 Kim McCready
2006 Cathryn Bristow
2005 Therese Wenslow
2004 Johnna Nealy
2003 Michelle Timpani
2002 Jaime Seefried
2001 Claire Hunter
2000 Claire Hunter, Kylie Wilson
1999 Jerilyn White
1998 Kylie Wilson
1997 Tara Keller
1996 Tara Keller, Christel Tomori
1995 Karly Mills, Christel Tomori
1994 Becca Giersdorf, Cappy Mack
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