April 29, 2011

By Wes Todd
Assistant Media Relations Director

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina golfers Suzie Lee and Samantha Swinehart were named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team, the SEC office announced Friday morning.

Lee, a native of East Northport, N.Y., has been one of the most consistent golfers for the Gamecocks this season as she stands second on the team with a 75.29 scoring average in seven events. Despite missing the first two tournaments of the spring season with a wrist injury, Lee has played very well down the stretch, highlighted by her first career top-10 finish as she tied for ninth place at the SEC Championship to lead the Gamecocks. Lee was the top finisher in two events this year, with her other team-leading performance coming at the Tar Heel Invitational in October where she shot three straight rounds of even-par 72 to finish in a tie for 24th place. Lee earned another top-20 in her first collegiate event, tying for 17th at the season-opening Cougar Classic.

Swinehart came to South Carolina from Lancaster, Ohio, and has made an immediate impact. Playing in every event as a freshman, Swinehart has a 75.93 scoring average to rank third on the team. She leads the Gamecocks with three top-20 finishes this season, the first of which came in her initial collegiate event; a tie for 15th at the season-opening Cougar Classic. In the first event of the spring season, she barely missed a spot in the top 10 with rounds of 73-68-76=217 (+1) to tie for 11th at the UCF Challenge. At that tournament, her second-round 68 set a South Carolina freshman record for the best 18-hole score; it also tied for the seventh-best single-round score in overall school history. She was the Gamecocks’ top finisher at the Bryan National Collegiate, tying for 12th place.

Alabama led the way with three players named to the All-SEC first team, as well as having the Coach of the Year (Mic Potter), Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Brooke Pancake) and one of two Co-Freshmen of the Year (Stephanie Meadow). Georgia’s Marta Silva Zamora was named the Golfer of the Year, and Arkansas’ Emily Tubert was the other Co-Freshman of the Year.

The Gamecocks travel to Auburn, Wash., next week for the NCAA West Regional. The tournament runs May 5-7 at Washington National Golf Club.

2011 SEC WOMEN’S GOLF AWARDS

Coach of the Year: Mic Potter, Alabama
Golfer of the Year: Marta Silva Zamora, Georgia
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Brooke Pancake, Alabama
Co-Freshmen of the Year: Stephanie Meadow, Alabama; Emily Tubert, Arkansas

All-SEC First Team
Marta Silva Zamora, Georgia
Megan McChrystal, LSU
Brooke Pancake, Alabama
Erica Popson, Tennessee
Stephanie Meadow, Alabama
Emily Tubert, Arkansas
Cydney Clanton, Auburn
Camila Lennarth, Alabama

All-SEC Second Team
Austin Ernst, LSU
Nathalie Mansson, Tennessee
Kelli Shean, Arkansas
Jennifer Kirby, Alabama
Marina Alex, Vanderbilt
Emile Burger, Georgia
Mia Piccio, Florida
Megan Grehan, Vanderbilt

All-Freshman Team
Stephanie Meadow, Alabama
Emily Tubert, Arkansas
Austin Ernst, LSU
Suzie Lee, South Carolina
Kaitlyn Rohrback, Tennessee
Marta Sanz, Auburn
Samantha Swinehart, South Carolina
Emma Lavy, Arkansas