CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. ? For the second straight season, the University of South Alabama women's golf team’s hard work in the classroom was rewarded Monday as it was named the recipient of the 2007-2008 National Golf Coaches Association All-Scholar Team GPA Award. The award recognizes the women's collegiate golf program with the highest collective team grade point average, which includes all of the team's student-athletes for the 2007-2008 season. South Alabama's seven team members accumulated an average GPA of 3.734, the highest in the nation this past season.
“This is a tremendous honor for our players,” South Alabama women’s golf head coach T.J. Jackson said. “Winning it for the second year in a row is special and shows the dedication that our team has in the classroom as well as on the golf course. The girls were truly deserving and we hope to continue this success in the seasons to come.”
USA was one of two Sun Belt programs to rank in the Top 25 in this year’s poll, joining UALR (11th).
Earlier this month, Jaguar women’s golfers Sara Marti, Nina Offenberg, Elin Andersson, Darah Newell and Shirley Harvey were named to the NGSCA All-American Scholar Team.
Founded in 1983, the NGCA is a non-profit organization consisting of women’s collegiate golf coaches. The association rewards the All-Scholar Team each year in July to promote the competition of collegiate golf for women and rewards golf team’s performance in the class room. The NGCA was formed to encourage the playing of college golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition. Today, the NGCA represents nearly 500 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.
The NGCA also announced the 25 teams with the highest 2007-2008 Team GPA.
They are as follows:
1. University of South Alabama - 3.734
2. Stanford University - 3.702
3. Southwestern University - 3.700
T4. Illinois Wesleyan University - 3.662
T4. Santa Clara University - 3.662
6. Marshall University - 3.655
7. Wheeling Jesuit University - 3.634
8. University of Indianapolis - 3.631
9. McNeese State University - 3.615
10. Wartburg College - 3.609
11. University of Arkansas-Little Rock - 3.608
12. Murray State University - 3.578
13. University of Alabama - 3.552
14. Longwood University - 3.546
15. Kent State University - 3.544
16. University of New Mexico - 3.540
17. University of South Carolina - 3.539
T18. Lynn University - 3.538
T18. University of Cincinnati - 3.538
20. Indiana State University - 3.537
21. East Carolina University - 3.531
22. Winona State University - 3.529
23. Augustana College - 3.522
24. Centre College - 3.514
25. High Point University - 3.510
