Sixth-year head coach Michael Akers was named the conference's Coach of the Year for the second straight season and was joined on the team by three of his players, giving the Mean Green four honorees on the team to match the all-time high set last year.
Akers guided the Mean Green to the second conference championship in program history, in as many years, as the team ended the season ranked No. 47 in the nation - a steep climb from its ranking in the 200s when Akers was hired prior to the 2016-17 season. He was a three-time Coach of the Year honoree in the Southland and Sun Belt Conferences as the head coach at Texas State prior to his arrival in Denton, and this marks his second Conference USA nod.
Senior Audrey Tan, who is ranked No. 51 nationally by Golfstat, was named to the first team for the second straight year, and she was joined by sophomore Ellie Roth (Second Team) and Patricia Sinolungan (Third Team). For the first time, the first team was determined solely by Golfstat rankings, and Tan is the highest ranked player in the conference. It's Tan's third career all-conference nod, while Roth and Sinolungan each make their first appearance.
"It feels great to see three of our players placed on the all-Conference USA team," Akers said. "We (the Conference USA coaches) changed how first team is selected, which I really like. Audrey proved to be No. 1 in the conference, according to the Golfstat rankings. This takes into account the competition each team faces. We schedule very strong tournaments. Audrey has done exceptional against the top players in the nation."
Tan posted a team-best and program-record stroke average of 72.11 and a team-low round of 66 this season. She finished in the top-25 in eight of nine events, top 12 in seven of nine and had five top-5 showings with a T6 at the conference tournament when she tied for the best round of the final day to lead her team to a dramatic one-shot victory to claim its second consecutive conference championship. Tan also won C-USA Golfer of the Week four times this year, including three nods in the spring.
Roth, a DFW native who transfered from Kansas, played in all nine events and had the second-best season stroke average on the team in her first year with the program, proving to be a valuable addition, with a 74.58 average and a season-low round of 67. She finished fourth at the Tulane Classic in helping her team to team victory and had two other top-25 finishes at the Sam Golden Invitational and the UNF Collegiate.
Sinolungan played in all nine events and had the third-best stroke average on the team with a 74.96 and a season-low round of 69 at the Tulane Classic, where she won her first college tournament with a 76-69-76 in brutal weather conditions. She tied for 11th at the Olde Stone Intercollegiate to help lead the team to a second-place finish and had two other top-10 showings at the UNF Collegiate and at the Conference USA Championship, where she tied for 6th and helped lead the team to a dramatic one-shot victory to claim its second consecutive conference championship. She won her first career C-USA Golfer of the Week nod after winning the Tulane Classic.
"Ellie and Patty both had great years," Akers said. "They have really helped us to keep competing at a high level this season. In New Orleans (at the Tulane Classic), Audrey, Patty and Ellie were all tied for first going into the final round. That was pretty special and showed the depth we have. When you have multiple players on your team that can win a college event individually you know you have a strong team."
The Mean Green aren't stopping with their conference championship, as their season goes on with the upcoming NCAA Regional on May 9-11, in Albuquerque, N.M. It marks just the third time in program history that a team has advanced to the NCAA Regionals and the second in as many years. The top four teams from each of the six 12-team regional sites advance to the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona, in late May.
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UNT Women Tie All-Time High With Four C-USA nods - University of North Texas Athletics - Mean Green Sports
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