April 22, 2003

South Carolina’s Kristy McPherson, who last week was named Southeastern Conference Golfer of the Year, headlines a list of 16 women’s golfers that earned All-SEC honors during the 2002-03 season, SEC conference officials announced Tuesday.

McPherson leads the SEC in stroke average and placed third in the SEC Championships last week, after claiming back-to-back league titles in 2001-02. This marks the senior’s third year on the first-team All-SEC squad. Eight women earned first-team All-SEC honors and eight earned second-team All-SEC honors.

SEC Tournament Champion Aimee Cho of Florida, a freshman from Orlando, Fla., is also on the first-team. She shot an even-par 216 in the three rounds of the SEC Tournament last weekend at the University Club in Lexington, Ky., to capture individual medalist honors.

Joining Cho and McPherson on the first-team are members of the SEC Champion Auburn Tigers – senior Celeste Troche, senior Danielle Downey and junior Diana Ramage. The Tigers won the SEC title by two strokes over second-place Florida and eight-strokes over third-place Tennessee. Troche has made the first-team All-SEC in all four years of her collegiate career while Downey has made the squad in three of her four years at Auburn.

Violeta Retamoza, named SEC Freshman of the Year last week, and Jessica Shepley of Tennessee were also first-team All-SEC selections. Retamoza finished one stroke behind Cho at the SEC Championships and is second in stroke average this year.

Vanderbilt junior Courtney Wood rounds out the first-team All-SEC selections. Wood, McPherson and Retamoza were the only three SEC golfers to win multiple tournaments during the 2002-03 season.

On the second-team All-SEC squad are Auburn freshman Maria Martinez, junior Amanda Dick and senior Brittany Straza of Florida, freshman Kelly Froelich and senior Summer Sirmons of Georgia, Mississippi State freshman Sofie Andersson of Mississippi State, and the Vanderbilt duo of junior Sarah Jacobs and freshman May Wood.

Also announced last week was the SEC Coach of the Year Award going to Vanderbilt’s Martha Freitag.

2003 SEC WOMEN’S GOLF AWARDS

FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC
Kristy McPherson, South Carolina
Celeste Troche, Auburn
Violeta Retamoza, Tennessee
Aimee Cho, Florida
Jessica Shepley, Tennessee
Courtney Wood, Vanderbilt
Danielle Downey, Auburn
Diana Ramage, Auburn

SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC
Sofie Andersson, Mississippi State
Sarah Jacobs, Vanderbilt
May Wood, Vanderbilt
Maria Martinez, Auburn
Amanda Dick, Florida
Kelly Froelich, Georgia
Summer Sirmons, Georgia
Brittany Straza, Florida

SEC COACH OF THE YEAR
Martha Freitag, Vanderbilt

SEC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kristy McPherson, South Carolina

SEC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Violeta Retamoza, Tennessee