May 4, 2017

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior golfer Katelyn Dambaugh, junior Ainhoa Olarra and freshman Ana Pelaez each received All-SEC honors, the league office announced Thursday afternoon.

Dambaugh, a four-time all-conference selection, earned First-Team All-SEC laurels for the second-straight year, while Olarra and Pelaez were placed on the All-SEC Second Team. Pelaez also landed on the SEC All-Freshman Team, and senior Marianna Monaco marked the fourth Gamecock recognized by the league after grabbing a spot on the conference’s Community Service Team.

With Thursday’s all-conference honor, Dambaugh becomes the fourth golfer in program history to be placed on an All-SEC team in each of her four seasons at Carolina. The Goose Creek, S.C., native is the fifth Gamecock to garner multiple First-Team All-SEC accolades.

Dambaugh, Carolina’s all-time stroke average leader, has remained among the nation’s elite in her final season as a Gamecock. Her team-best 70.82 scoring average, the lowest single-season mark in school history, ranks sixth in Division I and stands as the third-best mark among SEC golfers. She boasts four top-five finishes on the year and has shot par or better in 15 of her 22 rounds.

The Gamecock captain, who has led Carolina in six of its nine tournaments, captured medalist honors at the 2017 SEC Championship last month in historic fashion. Her three-round total of 204 (-12) marked the lowest 54-hole score in tournament and school history, and the performance gave Dambaugh her third-straight top-five showing at the conference event. The senior is one of four Gamecocks with at least 20 career top-10 finishes, and her 14 top-five showings rank second in program history.

Olarra has earned a career-best three top-10 finishes in her junior campaign. She tied for ninth at the 2016 Landfall Tradition and 2017 Darius Rucker Intercollegiate and placed eighth at Carolina’s spring opener, the 2016 FSU Match-Up. Olarra’s 72.48 scoring average currently stands as the fourth-lowest single-season mark in school history, and the San Sebastian, Spain, native ranks second on the team with 11 rounds of par or better.

Pelaez has emerged as one of the league’s top newcomers after opening the spring with three-straight top-15 finishes. The Malaga, Spain, native carded the lowest 54-hole score (208, -8) ever by a Gamecock freshman at the 2017 FSU Match-Up en route to runner-up honors, and she tied for ninth at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate after totaling a 218 (+5). Pelaez’s 72.63 stroke average, which ranks second among SEC freshman, is on pace to be the best single-season mark by a Carolina newcomer in school history.

Monaco, who competed in two tournaments as an individual this season, has totaled over 75 hours of community service as a senior. The Yonkers, N.Y., native has taken part in a variety of activities off the course, including Tunnel To Towers, Build-a-Bike and Toys for Tots. Monaco has been placed on the SEC Community Service Team in each of the last two years.

No. 12 South Carolina returns to action next week when it opens play at the NCAA Columbus Regional. The 54-hole event takes place May 8-10 on the Scarlet Course at the OSU Golf Club and features an 18-team field. The Gamecocks, the No. 3 seed in the region, will advance to the NCAA Championship for the eighth-straight year with a top-six finish at the three-day event.

First Team All-SEC
Katelyn Dambaugh, South Carolina
Maria Torres, Florida
Cheyenne Knight, Alabama
Kelly Grassel, Florida
Maddie Szeryk, Texas A&M
Kristen Gillman, Alabama
Lauren Stephenson, Alabama
Harang Lee, Georgia

Second Team All-SEC
Bianca Fabrizio, Texas A&M
Taylor Tomlinson, Florida
Jillian Hollis, Georgia
Alana Uriell, Arkansas
Bailey Tardy, Georgia
Ainhoa Olarra, South Carolina
Karolina Vlckova, Florida
Ana Pelaez, South Carolina

Coach of the Year
Emily Glaser, Florida

Player of the Year
Cheyenne Knight, Alabama

Freshman of the Year
Kristen Gillman, Alabama

Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Kate Sborov, Vanderbilt

SEC All-Freshman Team
Kristen Gillman, Alabama
Jessica Yuen, Missouri
Ana Pelaez, South Carolina
Marta Perez SanMartin, Florida
Elena Hualde, Auburn
Michaela Williams, Tennessee
Courtney Dow, Texas A&M
Abbey Carlson, Vanderbilt

SEC Community Service Team
Cammie Gray, Alabama
Summar Roachell, Arkansas
Kelli Murphy, Auburn
Karolina Vlckova, Florida
Sammi Lee, Georgia
Grace Rose, Kentucky
Sydney Cavin, LSU
Maria Toennessen, Ole Miss
Blaise Carabello, Mississippi State
Mackenzie Perez, Missouri
Marianna Monaco, South Carolina
Blakesly Warren, Tennessee
Callie Scheffler, Texas A&M
Lauren Johnson, Vanderbilt