July 11, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina women’s golf team placed four of its members on the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) All-American Scholar Team. Katie Burnett, Katie Rose Higgins, Amanda Strang and Samantha Swinehart were among 26 total Southeastern Conference golfers on the list. South Carolina’s four matched that of Ole Miss for the high mark in the league. To earn All-American Scholar status a Division I golfer must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50.

“I am so proud of these student-athletes, as they were very disciplined to be able to achieve both on the golf course and in the classroom,” South Carolina head coach Kalen Anderson said. “Their success is also a testimony to the strong academic support that we have at the University of South Carolina.”

An experimental psychology major, Burnett capped her junior year with the team’s best scoring average at 75.03. For the second-straight season, she was the Gamecocks’ top finisher at the NCAA Championships as her four-round 299 (+11) helped the team to 18th place in the event. Burnett posted a pair of top-10 finishes and was the team’s top scorer in seven of 11 tournaments.

Higgins, a business administration major, played in all 11 tournaments as a freshman. A final-round 72 helped her into 24th place at the SEC Championship, helping the Gamecocks into fifth place at the event. Higgins also earned a spot on the SEC Women’s Golf Community Service Team.

Majoring in experimental psychology, Strang carried the momentum of her 2010 SEC All-Freshman season into her sophomore campaign, qualifying for all 11 tournaments in which the team competed. Playing in her second NCAA Championship, she moved up 34 spots from her 2010 effort at the event, finishing in 65th place. Her career-best round of 69 on the last day of the SEC Championship moved her into 29th place.

A business administration major, Swinehart earned a spot on the 2011 SEC All-Freshman team with her 75.74 average. She posted a team-best four top-20 finishes over her 11 tournaments. Swinehart claimed 15th place at the NCAA West Regional to lead the Gamecocks into the NCAA Championships. Her second-round 68 at the UCF Challenge set a South Carolina freshman record and helped the team turn in its best round of the season.