Caroline Hedwall Named Player of the Year
STILLWATER, Okla. – Fresh off her individual title at the Championship
on Friday, Oklahoma State¹s Caroline Hedwall was named the /NGCA
Division I Player of the Year by the National Golf Coaches Association.
At the Country Club of Landfall, Hedwall posted a 276 total to finish four
shots clear of the field and become the first player in program history to
win medalist honors at the national championship. In the process, the
sophomore tied the scoring record with her 12-under score, matching the
mark set by Penny Hammel of Miami (Fla.) in 1983.
Hedwall, who has been named the Big 12 Player of the Year during each of her
two seasons in Stillwater, is now the first Cowgirl to garner national
player of the year honors.
With her victory this past week, Hedwall won four of her eight starts during
the spring season and did not finish outside the top four during that
stretch. The Loddekopinge, Sweden native opened the spring with wins at the
Lady Puerto Rico Classic and the Arizona Wildcat Invitational. She earned
her third victory at the Big 12 Championship. Overall, she finished the year
with five victories after winning the Golfweek Conference Challenge in the
fall.
Additionally, Hedwall was named the winner of the Golfstat Cup, which is
given annually to the player who has the best scoring average versus par
with at least 20 full rounds played during a season. She finished the year
with a 71.14 stroke average to shatter the school¹s single-season scoring
mark she set last year. Hedwall finished under par in seven of her 12 starts
this year and was 25-under par overall on the season.
On Friday evening, Hedwall was also named one of four finalists for the
Honda Sports Award for women¹s golf. The award is given annually to the top
woman collegiate athlete in that sport. After a nationwide balloting, the
winner among Hedwall, Auburn¹s Cydney Clanton, Arizona State¹s Jennifer
Johnson and Southern California¹s Jennifer Song will become a candidate for
The Honda-Broderick Cup awarded annually to the Collegiate Woman Athlete of
the Year.
Hedwall was named a first-team All-America pick for the second-straight
season and was joined on the squad by freshman Victoria Park, who was named
an honorable mention selection.
Park made 11 starts during her first season as a Cowgirl, finishing in the
top 10 on five occasions. The Irvine, Calif., native¹s best showing came at
the Big 12 Championship, where she placed third. She also finished in the
top five at the Central Regional, tying for fourth place.
Updated 05-24-2010
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