By: By Hunter McKay
ASUN All-Conference Release |
ASUN All-Academic Release
KENNESAW, Ga.
– The Kennesaw State women's golf team collected a plethora of honors as the ASUN Conference announced its all-conference and all-academic teams at its banquet Saturday evening before the women's golf championships.
Medy Thavong was named both ASUN Women's Golfer of the Year and ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while head coach
Rhyll Brinsmead collected the ASUN Coach of the Year Award. Senior
Dulcie Sverdloff and Thavong were selections to the All-ASUN First Team and the ASUN All-Academic Team. Junior
Henriette Nielsen was named to the All-ASUN Second Team.
Thavong has played in all 10 tournaments this season and leads the team with a 73.70 scoring average. The sophomore has been the team's top finisher eight times this season with five top-15 finishes. She shot even par or better six times this season. She picked up her first collegiate win at the Johnie Imes Invitational after carding rounds of 70-69-72 for a total of 5-under par 211. Her final-round 66 at the JU Amelia Island Collegiate was a career-low and is tied for the 18-hole school-record score on a par 72 course. Thavong is currently ranked No. 217 in the Golfstat Individual Rankings and is the only player in the conference ranked inside the top 250. Thavong is the fourth different Owl to win Golfer of the Year honors joining Ines Lescudier, Kaew Preamchuen and
Clara Aveling.
"This is an incredible accomplishment for Medy, and I am truly honored and so proud to be her coach," head coach
Rhyll Brinsmead said. "Medy has an exceptional talent, and an unrelenting work ethic and this combination is why she has accomplished all she has this year. To be honored by the coaches in the conference as Player of the Year is the pinnacle of respect and Medy is so well deserving of this honor. She has continued to push herself and her teammates all year to reach new levels. I love coaching Medy, and I am so excited for her to be recognized, I know this award will mean the world to her and her family, as it does to her KSU family."
Brinsmead earns her third ASUN Coach of the Year honor after leading the Owls to eight top-10 tournament finishes this season. The Owls eight top-10 tournament finishes are tied for second-most in a season in program history. KSU owns a 299.27 four-player scoring average this season, which currently is the second-lowest in program history. The Owls also are the top-ranked team in the conference at No. 79 in this week's Golfstat team rankings.
"This award is not so much about me as it is about my team," Brinsmead said. "You are only as good as those that surround you, and I am surrounded by not only great players but wonderful people. It is my goal every year to make my athletes better players and more importantly well-rounded individuals, and in doing so, they make me a better person and coach. It is always nice to be honored by your peers, and I appreciate and respect and comradery among the coaches within the ASUN. I also appreciate the support and backing of my department. Over my 10 years at KSU, so much has changed but the stable point has always been the mission of the department and commitment to success the right way. I would not be able to do what I do without the commitment from
Vaughn Williams and the support staff that make coaching at KSU the only place I want to be. I love my job and being recognized as coach of the year is truly humbling."
Sverdloff has played in all 10 tournaments this season and is second on the team with a 74.60 scoring average. The senior has been the Owls top finisher twice this season and is tied with Thavong for the team lead with six rounds at par or better this season. The Southend-On-Sea, Essex native tied for second at the Johnie Imes Invitational after carding rounds of 74-67-72 for a 3-under par total of 213. Her second-round 67 was a career-low and tied for the second-lowest round in program history on a par-72 course. She led the Owls with rounds of 73-69-74 for an even-par total of 216 to finish fourth at the Hawkeye El-Tigre Invitational.
"To place two players as first team all-conference is a testament to the depth of this squad," Brinsmead stated. "This is the third year in a row Dulcie has been named to the first team. She has maintained such a high level of play over her four-year career at KSU, and I am very proud of her to be honored again. Medy and Dulcie have pushed each other all year, and they have been a very powerful one-two punch for us at the start of our lineup. It has been a pleasure all year to watch them compete."
Nielsen has played in eight tournaments this season and has a 76.29 scoring average. Her top finish was at the 3M Augusta Invitational with rounds of 77-75-75 for a total of 11-over par 227 to finish tied for 26th. She has carded her season-low round of 1-over par 73 four times this season.
"This is a very special award for a very deserving player," Brinsmead said. "Henriette has seen the highs of college golf, being named Freshman of the Year in 2015 and the lows, after struggling with injuries last year and not competing. Her bounce back this year has been nothing short of amazing, and I am so very proud of her to be recognized. I know this award will be very special to her, as she has diligently worked all year to get her game in a place that is highly competitive. She is a crucial part of our lineup, and her attitude and approach on and off the course are contagious. I am so happy for Henriette."
In the classroom, Thavong carries a 4.0 grade-point average while majoring in accounting. This is her first appearance on the All-Academic team. She joins Ines Lescudier as the only two Owls to have won the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
"It is a rare quality to be the best athletically and academically, but in Medy we are blessed to have found these traits," Brinsmead said. "Medy has earned a 4.0 GPA and 73.70 scoring this year, these on their own are remarkable but combined they are incredible. Medy is truly a student-athlete, she has found a way to balance her academic goals and her athletic dreams. She is an accounting major, which is no small task. To maintain a perfect 4.0 requires organization, commitment and dedication and Medy works harder than anyone I've coached to maintain her grades. I am so proud to coach an athlete that truly demonstrates what it means to be a Kennesaw State Owl."
Sverdloff earns her second career appearance on the ASUN All-Academic team. She currently has a 3.70 grade-point average and will graduate in May with a degree in sports management.
"It is no coincidence that Medy and Dulcie are All-Academic and first-team All-Conference, they are both very disciplined individuals in everything they do," Brinsmead said. "At KSU and within my program we place great emphasis on success in the classroom and on the course, and it is very satisfying to see two wonderful people recognized for their hard work. This award is as important as the athletic awards. We are very fortunate to have athletes that represent KSU with such pride and passion. This is the second time Dulcie has earned this award, and we appreciate all she has done for KSU over her career."
The Owls will begin postseason play at the ASUN Championships at the Legends Course at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Georgia April 16-17.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State women's golf news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsWmnsGolf or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
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