July 2, 2008

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina women’s golf team placed three of its members on the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) All-American Scholar Team. Seniors Whitney Simons and Blythe Worley collected the honor for the fourth time in as many seasons, while sophomore Taylor Barrett appeared on the squad for the second time. The Gamecock trio was among 22 Southeastern Conference golfers on the list.

To earn All-American Scholar status a Division I golfer must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 and have competed in at least 50 percent of the team’s regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the season.

An international business and marketing major, Simons competed in 10 of the team’s 11 events in 2007-08, including the NCAA East Regional and NCAA Championship. She finished the season with a 78.10 stroke average, giving her a four-year career mark of 77.33, which ranks eighth in school history. In addition to four years as an All-American Scholar, Simons has appeared on the SEC Academic Honor Roll all four seasons and was the 2006 SEC Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year. This season, Simons earned the University of South Carolina President’s Award for extraordinary talent in athletics, scholarship, leadership and service.

Worley, a business management and marketing major, played in all 11 events as a senior with a 77.26 stroke average to rank third on the team. She closed her career with a 77.35 average, the ninth-best in school history. Like Simons, Worley is a four-time member of the NGCA All-American Scholar Team and the SEC Academic Honor Roll. As a senior, she was named the University’s 2007-08 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

A business major, Barrett played a career-high eight events in her second season on the squad. Making her postseason debut, she was part of the lineup at the SEC Championship, where she finished a career-best 14th, as well as the NCAA East Regional and the NCAA Championship. She turned in a 78.60 average for the season.

–www.GamecocksOnline.com–