CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) announced today (Nov. 3) its inaugural fall watchlists for the Jackie Steinmann WGCA National Coach of the Year Presented by Golf Pride, PING WGCA Player of the Year, and WGCA Freshman of the Year Presented by StrackaLine.
Head coach Ria Scott was named to the Jackie Steinmann National Coach of the Year watchlist while Jaclyn LaHa (No. 2 NCAA) and Zoe Cusack (No. 7 NCAA) were each named to the Player of the Year watchlist. Cusack was also named to the Freshman of the Year watchlist.
Scott guided the Cavaliers to the program’s first No. 1 ranking at the conclusion of the fall season as the Cavaliers won three team titles in their five fall tournaments. The Cavaliers also recorded a pair of team runner-up finishes and never finished outside the top-six. Scott has also guided three individuals to top-20 rankings including LaHa (No. 2), Cusack (No. 7) and Miranda Lu (No. 18).
LaHa led the Cavaliers through the fall slate logging four top-five finishes in five events while finishing inside the top-15 in each event. She recorded back-to-back wins at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational and Windy City Collegiate Classic. In in 14 rounds of play LaHa has recorded nine rounds in the sixties for a stroke average of 69.6.
Cusack lands on the Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year watchlists after a spectacular collegiate debut in which she competed in five events while logging three top-five finishes without landing outside the top-14. She ranks second on the team with five rounds in the sixties and a stroke average of 70.7.
The Cavaliers will open their spring slate Jan. 29-30 when the team hosts the annual Collegiate Invitational at GCC in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Jackie Steinmann WGCA National Coach of the Year Presented by Golf Pride Watchlist
South Region:
Melissa Luellen – Auburn University
Janice Olivencia – University of Miami
Kory Henkes – University of Mississippi
Kalen Anderson – University of South Carolina
Diana Cantu – University of Tennessee
East Region:
Ria Scott – University of Virginia
Kim Lewellen – Wake Forest University
Dan Brooks – Duke University
Erika DeSanty – Princeton University
Carol Robertson – Virginia Tech University
Central Region:
Laura Ianello – University of Texas
Gerrod Chadwell – Texas A&M University
Shauna Taylor – University of Arkansas
Christie Martens – Iowa State University
West Region:
Justin Silverstein – University of Southern California
Anne Walker – Stanford University
Derek Radley – University of Oregon
Missy Farr-Kaye – Arizona State University
Alicia Um Holmes – University of California, Los Angeles
PING WGCA Player of the Year Watchlist
Anna Davis – Auburn University
Rianne Malixi – Duke University
Thanana Kotchasanmanee – Princeton University
Meja Örtengren – Stanford University
Maria Jose Marin – University of Arkansas
Farah O’Keefe – University of Texas
Jaclyn LaHa – University of Virginia
Zoe Cusack – University of Virginia
Valentine Delon – Virginia Tech University
Chloe Kovelesky – Wake Forest University
Macy Pate – Wake Forest University
WGCA Freshman of the Year Presented by StrackaLine Watchlist
Gia Raad – Auburn University
Mia Hammond – Duke University
Manon Petitcolas – University of Alabama
Celina Yeo – University of Oregon
Zoe Cusack – University of Virginia
Benedicte Brent-Petersen – Wake Forest University