FERRIS STATE’S BEDORTHA NAMED NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR

Ferris Coach Honored By NGCA; Robles and Hoffman Receive All-America Kudos

*2004-05 National Golf Coaches Association Division II Women's Golf Award Winners* PDF

Ferris State University women’s golf head coach Brad Bedortha has been named the 2005 National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Division II National Coach of the Year after guiding the Bulldogs to a pair of top four NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament finishes the last two seasons (2004-05).

Ferris State's Brad Bedortha was named the 2005 NGCA Division II National Coach of the Year.

The NGCA also recognized junior Elena Robles (Torrance, Calif./Redondo Union) as a second-team All-America selection while freshman Becky Hoffman (Gaines/Swartz Creek) attained All-America Honorable Mention team accolades. Their selection to an All-America team represents the sixth and seventh times in which a Bulldog women’s golfer has achieved such recognition. Kathryn Bobbie was a three-time All-American, earning first-team kudos twice (2000-01 and 2002-03). Amy Summers was Ferris’ initial All-America honoree (1991-92). Casey McKinnon, a current 2004-05 squad member, was a honorable mention All-America pick in the 2003-04 season.

Bedortha, who completed his sixth season at Ferris State this spring, was also chosen as 2005 Division II Co-East Regional Coach of the Year along with Grand Valley State’s Lori Stinson which was announced at the annual NGCA Division II Awards Banquet in Albuquerque, N.M. Bedortha was a co-recipient of the regional coach honor in the 2000-01 campaign and a solo award honoree in the 2002-03 season. The two-time (2000-01 and 2002-03) GLIAC Coach of the Year guided Ferris to its fifth national tournament appearance in the program’s history this spring as the Bulldogs placed fourth at the 2005 NCAA-II National Championship Tournament (May 11-14) with a four-round 1,251-stroke team total at the University of New Mexico Championship Course in Albuquerque. FSU compiled 10 top-five place team performances for the 2004-05 campaign, including first-place efforts at the Ferris State Bulldog Invitational (Sept. 4-5) and the Northwood Invitational (Oct. 1-2) while garnering second place at the GLIAC Championships (April 29) and at the NCAA-II East Regional (May 2-3). A season ago, Ferris registered the highest placing ever for a Bulldog women’s athletics team by tying for second place at the 2004 NCAA-II National Championship Tourney held at The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes in Longwood, Fla.

Robles was the Bulldogs’ top golfer this season by averaging a school single-season record 78.03 strokes (2,341 total strokes) in 30 rounds. She recorded a team-leading 11 top 20 placings, including seven in the top five highlighted by a first-place individual effort at the Northwood Invite. Robles, who was a 2002-03 All-GLIAC First-Team selection and a second-team all-conference honoree in 2003-04, led Ferris at the GLIAC Championships with a second-place 149 two-round score. She went on in postseason competition to card a three-round 238 total at the NCAA-II East Regional in Allendale, Mich., to tie for third place and then totaled a 14th-place 312 stroke total at the NCAA-II National Championships. Robles presently ranks third among Ferris’ all-time leaders with a 79.70 career average (6,695 total strokes) in 84 rounds.

Hoffman wrapped up her initial collegiate season with the team’s third-lowest average at 79.10 (2,373 total strokes) for 30 rounds. She finished among the top 20 in nine tournaments and four times was in the top five. Hoffman paced the Bulldogs at the NCAA-II National Championships with a ninth-place four-round 305 score after shooting a 241 three-round total to tie for eighth at the NCAA-II East Regional. She turned in a second-place performance at the Northwood Invitational with a 153 for two rounds and tallied a team-best 154 two-round score to tie for second-place honors at the Grand Valley State Laker Classic (Sept. 6-7).

The criteria for being selected a NGCA All-American consists of NCAA qualifying averages (all rounds minus three highest rounds), tournament victories and average place of finish, quality of field in tournaments and being a NCAA Medalist (automatic inclusion). The NGCA, which began in 1983 as an organization to promote participation in women’s golf, is the premier member-driven association for women’s golf coaches at NCAA Division I, II and III institutions. The 250-plus member NGCA, which is headquartered in Chicago, Ill., encourages the playing of intercollegiate golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition.