FOUR FERRIS WOMEN'S GOLFERS NAMED NGCA ALL-AMERICAN SCHOLARS

*2005-06 NGCA All-America Scholar Release* PDF

Raquel Hansen

Becky Hoffman

Casey McKinnon

Missy Ward

Four members of the 2005-06 national runner-up Ferris State University women's golf team were recently named to the 2005-06 National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) All-America Scholar Team.

The group consists of freshman Raquel Hansen (West Olive/Grand Haven), sophomore Becky Hoffman (Gaines/Swartz Creek), junior Casey McKinnon (St. Ignace/LaSalle), and sophomore Missy Ward (Fenton/Linden).

The NGCA All-American Scholar Team included a total of 371 individuals from Division I, II, and III. The criteria for selection to the team requires a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 and student-athletes must have completed in at least 66 percent of their team's regularly-scheduled competitive rounds during the year.

The four were among 64 women's golf student-athletes for Division II, which included 12 players from Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) schools.

Hansen, a marketing-professional golf management major, averaged 81.85 strokes per round (1,637 total strokes) in 20 rounds for the 2005-06 season. The 2005-06 All-GLIAC Second-Team honoree compiled five Top-20 finishes this season which included twice placing in the top five.

A social work major, Hoffman was named an All-American Scholar for the second consecutive season. The two-time (2004-05 and 2005-06) All-GLIAC First-Team selection placed third on the team with a school single-season seventh-place 79.46 stroke average (2,225 total strokes) in 28 rounds. She placed among Top-20 10 times while finishing in the top five on three occasions. Hoffman, a 2005-06 GLIAC All-Academic Team member, received a FSU Dean's Academic Award and was honored as the team's FSU President's Academic Award recipient for having the highest cumulative grade point average on the squad.

McKinnon, a two-time (2003-04 and 2005-06) NGCA All-America Honorable Mention pick, competed in 25 rounds in the 2005-06 campaign and posted a school single-season eighth-best 79.84 strokes per round average. The three-time (2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06) first-team All-GLIAC performer and three-time conference all-academic team selection was recognized as an All-America Scholar for the third straight year. McKinnon, a marketing-professional golf management major, was honored with the FSU Bulldog Award for dedication and hard work this season for the second time in her career. She turned in a third-place tying three-round 226 score at the 2006 NCAA Division II National Championships (May 5-10) at Allendale, Mich.

Ward, a history education major, averaged a team second-place leading 79.00 strokes in 28 rounds this season and wound up with nine Top-20 placings, including five top-five efforts. A 2005-06 All-GLIAC First-Teamer, Ward became a repeat All-America Scholar after attaining the same honor for the 2004-05 season. She garnered both GLIAC All-Academic and FSU Dean's Academic Award recognition this campaign.

The foursome were part of a five-member squad under seventh-year head coach Brad Bedortha which lead Ferris State to its highest national championship tournament finish ever in the school's athletics history with a second-place 925 team score at the three-round 2006 NCAA-II Women's Golf National Championships (May 10-13) in Allendale, Mich. The second-place national tourney finish eclipsed the Bulldogs' second-place tying 1,264-stroke team performance at the 2004 NCAA-II Championships (May 12-15) in Longwood, Fla.

Ferris State also claimed the 2006 GLIAC Women's Golf Championships (April 22-23) with a three-round 913 team score in Midland, Mich.

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.