CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia sophomore golfer Amanda Sambach (Pinehurst, N.C.) is one of 25 players named to the 2023 ANNIKA Award Watch List. The Annika Award is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding female collegiate golfer.
An honorable mention All-American as a freshman, Sambach led UVA with a 72.85 stroke average last season. That was the lowest single-season average by a first-year in program history. She picked up all-ACC honors and placed 31st at the NCAA Championships and was third at the ACC Championships.
The award is named for former LPGA champion Annika Sorenstam, who won 89 professional events and 10 major titles during her 15 years as a professional.
Sorenstam enrolled at the University of Arizona in the fall of 1990 and won seven titles during her collegiate career. She was the first foreign-born player and first freshman to win the individual NCAA Championship. She also won the 1991 National Co-Player of the Year Award, was the 1992 Pac-10 Champion and was named to the 1991-1992 All-American team. In 1992, Annika was a runner-up for the National Player of the Year Award and finished second to Vicki Goetze at the United States Women’s Amateur Golf Championship.