Portland State's Choi Named Golfer of the Year
OGDEN, Utah (April 29, 2013) - Portland State’s A Ram Choi has earned the Big Sky Conference Golfer of the Year honor, while Northern Arizona’s Savana Bezdicek has been named the Freshman of the Year.
The individual award winners and 2012-13 All-Conference Team were announced by the league office Monday. Ratings provided by Golfstat were used to determine the All-Conference Team, as well as individual honorees.
Choi, a sophomore from Surrey, B.C., finished with a Golfstat ranking of 112. The University of Washington transfer averaged a league-low and single-season school record 74.73 strokes per round. She shot in the 60s or 70s in 28 of the 30 rebounds she played, including a 67 in her very first round as a Viking.
Choi claimed medalist honors last fall at the Rose City Collegiate. She finished second in two tournaments, and placed fourth at the Big Sky Championship last week at the Ocotillo Golf Resort in Chandler, Ariz.
Since the Big Sky Conference began using a computer ranking to determine the All-Conference team, Choi’s ranking of 112 is the lowest by a Big Sky golfer. From 2005-07, the Big Sky used Golfweek rankings. Since 2008, the league has used Golfstat.
Bezdicek, from Colbert, Wash., finished with a ranking of 254, good enough to earn First Team All-Conference Honors as well as Freshman of the Year. She averaged 76.15 strokes per round. She claimed medalist honors at two tournaments, winning the Cal Poly Invitational last fall, and the Rio Verde Invitational this spring. Bezdicek placed 22nd at the Big Sky Championship, helping Northern Arizona to the team championship.
Bezdicek is the fourth Lumberjack in nine years to win Freshman of the Year, joining Sophia Choi (2005), Ali Carter (2006), and Stephanie Kim (2010).
Kim, a senior from Tempe, Ariz., earned First Team All-Conference honors for the third time. Kim, who won the 2010 Big Sky Championship as a freshman, finished with a ranking of 147, averaged 75.37 strokes per round, and placed in the top 10 at five tournaments. Kim finished 11th at the Big Sky Championship. Kim earned First-Team honors in 2010 and 2011. She was Second Team All-Conference in 2012.
Weber State senior Kelsey Chugg earned First Team honors for the first time. The Phoenix, Ariz., native had a ranking of 155. She won three tournaments, and finished 12th at the Big Sky Championship.
Northern Colorado senior Carleigh Silvers (Martinsville, Ind.) earned First Team Honors for the second straight season. The 2012 Big Sky Conference Championship had a ranking of 209. She averaged 75.62 strokes per round. Silvers tied for fifth at the Big Sky Championship.
Sadie Palmer of league newcomer Southern Utah finished with a ranking of 254. The senior from Toole, Utah, averaged 75.89 strokes per round, and finished in the top 10 at six tournaments.
Montana State junior Paige Crawford earned an automatic spot on the All-Conference First Team by virtue of her individual Big Sky Championship. Crawford cruised to medalist honors last week at Ocotillo, firing a tournament-record eight-under-par 208. Crawford shot a 68 in the second round, and tied the single-round tournament record with a 67 in the final round. The Colorado Springs, Colo., product has a ranking of 462. She averaged 77.14 strokes per round.
Northern Arizona junior Kaitlen Parsons, Portland State senior Britney Yada, Weber State senior Amanda Snyder, and Montana sophomore Tara Green and teammate Olivia Weber, a senior, earned Second Team Honors. Yada, the 2011 Big Sky Champion, is on the All-Conference Team for the fourth straight season. She was First Team in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Player of the Year – A Ram Choi, Portland State
Freshman of the Year – Savana Bezdicek, Northern Arizona
All-Conference First Team
|
Player |
Year |
School |
Hometown |
Golfstat Ranking |
|
A Ram Choi |
So. |
Portland State |
Surrey, B.C. |
112 |
|
@Stephanie Kim |
Sr. |
Northern Arizona |
Tempe, Ariz. |
147 |
|
Kelsey Chugg |
Sr. |
Weber State |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
155 |
|
#Carleigh Silvers |
Sr. |
Northern Colorado |
Martinsville, Ind. |
209 |
|
Sadie Palmer |
Sr. |
Southern Utah |
Tooele, Utah |
254 |
|
Savana Bezdicek |
Fr. |
Northern Arizona |
Colbert, Wash. |
254 |
|
*Paige Crawford |
So. |
Montana State |
Colorado Springs, Colo. |
462 |
#Two-Time First Team Selection
@Three-Time First Team Selection
*Automatic First-Team Spot by virtue of winning Big Sky Championship
Second Team All-Conference
|
Player |
Year |
School |
Hometown |
Golfstat Ranking |
|
Kaitlen Parsons |
Jr. |
Northern Arizona |
Greenacers, Wash. |
293 |
|
Britney Yada |
Sr. |
Portland State |
Hilo, Hawaii |
306 |
|
Tara Green |
So. |
Montana |
Harrisville, Utah |
398 |
|
Amanda Snyder |
Sr. |
Weber State |
Syracuse, Utah |
422 |
|
Olivia Weber |
Sr. |
Montana |
Idaho Falls, Idaho |
426 |