The National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) announced its All-American Scholar Teams for the 2011-12 academic year Tuesday, with three members of the Seattle University women's golf program earning a spot on the Division I squad.
Recent graduate Caitlin McCleary (The Dalles, Ore.) capped off a spectacular 2011-12 campaign by earning the recognition from the coaches organization. McCleary won three tournaments during the year, becoming the first Seattle U golfer to earn medalist honors in a Division I golf tournament since 1980, and she finished in a tie for first place after 54 holes of stroke play at the West Coast Conference Championships. McCleary received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and finished with a 3.578 grade point average.
Lori Pearson (Seattle, Wash.) improved her stroke average by three shots over the past year, posting a mark of 78.8 while participating in all 26 rounds Seattle U competed in. She finished the season by placing in a tie for ninth place at the WCC Championships, earning honorable mention all-conference honors for her performance. A two-time Academic All-WCC selection, Pearson brings a 3.599 grade point average as a sport and exercise science major into her senior year.
Nicole Gaddie (Salt Lake City, Utah) played in seven of the nine tournaments Seattle U entered in 2011-12, including the last six of the year, and she finished with a stroke average of 80.5. Her best performance of the year came at the Red Rocks Invitational, where she placed in a tie for 14th place, helping the Redhawks finish second out of 20 teams in the tournament. The newly-elected student body president majors in journalism and enters her junior year with a 3.517 grade point average.
The criteria for selection to the NGCA All-American Scholar Team is stringent, as student-athletes need at least a 3.5 grade point average and must have played in at least 50 percent of their school's competitive rounds to qualify for the award. A total of 602 student-athletes spanning NCAA Divisions I, II, and III earned the honor this year.
The Seattle University women's golf team will compete as part of the Western Athletic Conference beginning in 2012-13. The 2013 WAC Women's Golf Championships will be held April 22-24, 2013, at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz.