OGDEN, Utah - (April 22, 2015) - For the third consecutive year, Portland State’s A Ram Choi has been selected as the Big Sky Conference Women’s Golfer of the Year.
Choi, who captured her second consecutive Big Sky Conference individual championship on Tuesday, was also tabbed First Team All-Conference for the third straight season. The 2015 Women’s Golf All-Conference Team and individual award winners were selected by the 12 league head coaches.
The Freshman of the Year Award was shared by Sacramento State’s Astha Madan and Portland State’s Hansol Koo.
Choi, a senior from Surrey, B.C., is just the second player in conference history to win Player of the Year three times. Northern Arizona’s Sophia Choi captured the honor from 2006-08.
Choi, who transferred to Portland State after her freshman season at Washington, shot an even-par 216 at the 2015 Big Sky Championship to become the first player in conference history to win the event in back-to-back seasons. Including the championship, she averaged 73.50 shots per round this season. She shot par or better in 12 of 26 rounds.
Idaho, which returned to the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2014, placed three players on the All-Conference First Team. Seniors Leilanie Kim and Kaitlyn Oster, and junior Kristin Strankman were tabbed to the top team, along with Choi and Montana sophomore Barbora Bakova. Choi, Kim, Oster and Strankman were unanimous selections.
Kim, who is also from Surrey, B.C., finished the regular season with a scoring average of 73.55, best in the Big Sky. Kim had five top-10 finishes, including a tie for fourth at the Big Sky Championship.
Oster, from Hillsboro, Ore., averaged 74.62 shots per round, and was the medalist at New Mexico State’s tournament last fall. Strankman, from Richland, Wash., averaged 75.59 shots per round. Strankman tied for 11
th at the Big Sky Championship.
Bakova, a sophomore from Olomouc, Czech Republic, averaged 75.68 strokes per round and was the medalist at the Sacramento State Invitational. Bakova tied for fourth at the Big Sky Championship.
Koo and Madan both had solid freshman seasons. Koo, from Honolulu, Hawai’i, averaged 75.93 shots per round in nine regular-season tournaments.
Madan, from Gurgoan, India, averaged 76.71 shots per round in five regular-season tournaments. She missed the first three tournaments of the seasons while competing in the Asian Games for India. Madan tied for second at the Big Sky Championship.
Montana’s Tara Green and Alexa Schendelman, Montana State’s Janelle Reali, Koo, and Northern Arizona’s Brittany McKee were selected to the Second Team. McKee helped Northern Arizona capture the 2015 Big Sky Conference Championship.
FIRST TEAM
|
Player |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
|
A Ram Choi |
Portland State |
Sr. |
Surrey, B.C. |
|
Leilanie Kim |
Idaho |
Sr. |
Surrey, B.C. |
|
Barbora Bakova |
Montana |
So. |
Olomouc, Czech Republic |
|
Kaitlyn Oster |
Idaho |
Sr. |
Hillsboro, Ore. |
|
Kristin Strankman |
Idaho |
Jr. |
Richland, Wash. |
SECOND TEAM
|
Player |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
|
Hansol Koo |
Portland State |
Fr. |
Honolulu, Hawaii |
|
Brittany McKee |
Northern Arizona |
Sr. |
Gilbert, Ariz. |
|
Janelle Reali |
Montana State |
So. |
Livermore, Calif. |
|
Tara Green |
Montana |
Sr. |
Harrisville, Utah |
|
Alexa Schendelman |
Montana |
So. |
Gilbert, Ariz. |
HONORABLE MENTION
|
Player |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
|
Monica Jung |
Southern Utah |
Sr. |
Syndey, Australia |
|
Astha Madan |
Sacramento State |
Fr. |
Gurggoan, India |
|
Taylor Viquelia |
Southern Utah |
So. |
Koloa, Hawaii |
|
Kim Cifuentes |
Northern Arizona |
So. |
Gilbert, Ariz. |
|
Amy Hasenoehrl |
Idaho |
So. |
Lewiston, Idaho |