CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – University of South Alabama women’s golf placed five student-athletes on the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) 2009-10 All-American Scholar Team, as announced by the NGCA.
South Alabama senior Claudia Wolf, junior Nina Offenberg, sophomores Ana Garcia and Anna Sellen-Runefjell and freshman Kristen Golightly received the prestigious honor, which recognizes academic excellence. Student-athletes must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50, while competing in at least 50 percent of the institution’s regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year, as part of the criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team.
South Alabama placed more student-athletes on the team than any other Sun Belt school, and more than Brown, Duke, Harvard, Stanford, and all 12 Southeastern Conference schools. The Jaguars tied with Western Illinois, Wichita State and Detroit-Mercy for the second-most student-athletes on the Division I list, behind Ohio, who placed six student-athletes on the team.
“It is the epitome of a true student-athlete,” head coach T.J. Jackson said of the award. “To get this award, you have to play in half of the tournaments that we schedule and also have a cumulative 3.50 GPA, and to balance that is just a tremendous feat. Our girls have worked hard, and they deserved what they have achieved. It’s just a tremendous honor for them to receive this type of award.
“I think each year when the new girls come in and the returners come back, they realize there’s a standard that has been set, and they want to keep achieving and keep that standard going. The girls do a good job in the classroom. They take it upon themselves to do a good job with it, and they deserve all the credit.”
Last month, the Jaguars were named to the NCAA Academic Progress Rate public recognition awards list, which provides a measure of a team’s academic performance.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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