July 1, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Three South Carolina women’s golfers were named Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholars on Monday, as freshman Chelsey Couch, sophomore Justine Dreher and junior Samantha Swinehart received the honor.

The Gamecocks’ tied Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi for the most selections among SEC schools. The minimum cumulative GPA to earn the honor is a 3.50.

Couch, who is an exercise science major, played in five tournaments for the Gamecocks this season and posted a scoring average of 76.92. Her best finish was a tie for 36th showing at the UCF Challenge with a total of 224 (+8).

A sport and entertainment management major, Dreher earns the honor for a second-straight year. She was one of the Gamecocks’ top golfers this season, playing in all 11 tournaments. She ranked third on the team in scoring with an average of 75.47 and tied for the team lead with three top-20 finishes. She led South Carolina to a third-place finish at the SEC Championship with a career-best showing, tying for third place with a total of 226 (+10). Dreher also had solid outings at the NCAA West Regional and the NCAA Championship, finishing 39th and 48th, respectively.

Swinehart, who is also a sport and entertainment management major, is making her third-straight appearance on the All-American Scholars list. She played in eight tournaments for the Gamecocks this season, posting a scoring average of 76.71. Her best performance of the season came at the Tar Heel Invitational, where she finished tied for 12th with a total of 220 (+4).