CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- The Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholars were announced Tuesday, and 11 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) student-athletes were recognized. Full Release
This is the second-straight year and just the fifth (2011, 2012, 2020, 2023) time in the last 14 years the SCAC has had 10 or more athletes earn WGCA Scholar All-American honors.
Overall, a total of 1,497 women’s collegiate golfers from 412 programs were recognized with this prestigious honor.
Southwestern University led the way among SCAC institutions with four Pirates being named to the list. Sophomore Isabella Valenzuela collected honors for the second-straight year, while junior Hailey Vardemen, sophomore Sloane Panter and first-year Mackenzie Brown are all making their debut on the prestigious list.
Trinity University was represented by three golfers earning WGCA Scholar All-American honors. Senior Kiona Hsiu was honored for a remarkable fourth consecutive season and junior Kate Schulle joins Hsiu as a multi-time recipient earning the accolades for the second-straight year. Sophomore Jessica Mason was tabbed WGCA Scholar All-American for the first time as a Tiger this spring to close out the Trinity selections. It marks the third consecutive year Trinity has had three or more athletes earn Scholar All-American certificates.
Centenary College and Texas Lutheran University rounded out the SCAC honorees as both the Ladies and Bulldogs saw two individuals honored. Sophomore Kaylee Roberts and first-year Jordyn Templeton secured accolades for the first time in their Centenary careers, while TLU juniors Braydee Frederick and Jaqueline Springs are appearing on the Scholar All-American team for the third and second-straight year respectively.
The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics. To be selected, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50, maintain amateur status and on the team’s roster through the conclusion of the season and have participated in 50 percent of the team’s regularly scheduled competitive rounds.
The Women’s Golf Coaches Association, founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing women’s collegiate golf coaches. The WGCA was formed to encourage the playing of college golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition. Today, the WGCA represents over 750 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.
