NGCA NAMES TWO BULLDOG WOMEN'S GOLFERS ALL-AMERICAN SCHOLARS

*2007-08 NGCA All-America Scholar Release* PDF

The nationally seventh-ranked Ferris State University women's golf team placed two of its student-athletes on the 2007-08 National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) All-American Scholar Team as senior Becky Hoffman (Gaines/Swartz Creek) and junior Raquel Hansen (West Olive/Grand Haven) collected the honor.

The two Bulldogs were among 76 women's golf student-athletes in NCAA Division II to receive such recognition and were among nine Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) golfers on the list.

The 2007-08 NGCA All-American Scholar Team consisted of a combined 402 women's collegiate golfers at the Division I, II, and III levels. The criteria for All-America Scholar Team honors requires a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 and have competed in at least 66 percent of their team's regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the season.

Hoffman attained the NGCA All-American Scholar Team honor for the fourth time in as many seasons while Hansen is appearing on the squad for the third time in her career.

A three-time (2004-05, 2006-07, and 2007-08) NGCA All-America Honorable Mention selection, Hoffman averaged a team-leading 77.81 strokes per round (2,490 total strokes) in 32 rounds this season. Her stroke average this campaign represented the third-best all-time single-season performance in FSU women's golf history. Hoffman, a four-time (2004-08) All-GLIAC First-Team honoree and the 2007-08 GLIAC Women's Golf Athlete of the Year, produced 10 top-20 place finishes in the 2007-08 season with three being among the top five individuals. A two-time (2007-08) ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division At-Large Second-Team honoree, Hoffman led or tied for top team lowest stroke total honors in six tournaments this season.

The two-time (2006-07 and 2007-08) FSU Most Valuable Player Award recipient earned individual medalist honors at the 2008 GLIAC Championships (April 20-21) in Arlington, Ohio, as she carded a first-place tying 226 three-round stroke total in regulation and then won a first-hole playoff.

A social work major, Hoffman concluded her four-year (2004-08) career as Ferris State's all-time leader with a career 78.31 stroke average (9,240 total strokes) in 118 rounds. Hoffman, who was a 2008 spring recipient of the GLIAC Commissioner's Award for Academic and Athletics Excellence, accumulated 40 top-20 place finishes and produced 14 top-five place performances in her collegiate career. Hoffman was the 2004-05 GLIAC Women's Golf Freshman of the Year and holds the distinction of being only the second individual in Ferris State women's golf history to attain All-America honors at least three seasons. She also was named the team's Most Valuable Player Award winner the last two seasons (2006-07 and 2007-08) after attaining the 2004-05 squad's Bulldog Award recipient for displaying the most dedication and hard work.

Hansen, a three-time (2005-08) All-GLIAC Second-Team pick, registered an 80.31 stroke average (2,570 total strokes) this season in 32 rounds to finish with the team's fourth-best stroke average. She placed among the top 20 individual golfers in nine tournaments, which included four in the top five. A 2007-08 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV College Division Women's At-Large Second-Team honoree, Hansen was the Bulldogs' top finisher in four 2007-08 season tournaments. She was individual medalist at the Olivet Invitational (Sept. 21-22) with a first place two-round 152-stroke total.

Hansen turned in a three-round 233 score at the 2008 NCAA-II East Regional to tie for runner-up honors and finished the campaign with a 38th-place tying 325-stroke total at the 2008 NCAA-II Women's Golf Championships. As a result of her top-five place effort at regionals, Hansen was named to the 2007-08 NGCA All-East Region Team. The marketing-professional golf management major was tabbed as the 2007-08 recipient of the Bulldog Award on the basis of her dedication and hard work.

In her three-year (2005-08) career, Hansen is currently eighth on the program's all-time stroke leaders list with a 80.36 career average (6,268 total strokes) in 78 rounds. She has racked up 18 career top-20 place finishes with eight being in the top 10. Hoffman has been recognized three times (2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08) as a GLIAC All-Academic Team member while Hansen has garnered conference academic recognition twice (2006-07 and 2007-08).

The duo helped lead Ferris State to a national fourth-place finish at the 2008 NCAA-II Women's Golf Championships (May 13-16) in Houston, Texas. Hoffman competed all four years at nationals as the Bulldogs placed fourth in 2005, second in 2006, and third in 2007. Hansen is a two-year (2007-08) national tournament participant.

The National Golf Coaches Association, which was founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing women's collegiate golf coaches. The NGCA was formed to encourage the playing of college golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition. Today, the NGCA represents over 400 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.