Eastern Michigan Athletics
Emily Podzielinski Selected the MAC's Freshman of the Year
4/25/2010 6:12:00 PM | Women's Golf
Peters earns first team honors while Scott and Podzielinski collect second team honors
FISHERS, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – Fresh off a fourth place showing at the 2010 Mid-American Conference Women's Golf Championship, Eastern Michigan University picked up five postseason awards to cap a stellar 2009-10 campaign. Junior Darby Peters (Lake Orion, Mich.-Lake Orion) was named first team All-MAC for the second consecutive year. Junior Robyn Scott (Auckland, New Zealand-Westlake Girls-Texas Tech Univ.) garnered second-team All-MAC accolades and All-Tournament team honors for her efforts, while freshman Emily Podzielinski (Noblesville, Ind.-Noblesville) was named the league's Freshman of the Year along with being chosen second-team All-MAC.
Podzielinski becomes just the second EMU student-athlete to be named the league's Freshman of the Year, joining Heather Nolan who collected the honor in 2003.
EMU placed four golfers in the top 30 of the individual standings and finished in fourth place in at the 12th Annual MAC Championship held at the Hawthorns Golf and Country Club, April 23-25. It marked the fourth consecutive year that the Eagles finished in the top four of the team standings at the MAC Championship with a 54-hole score of 926 (306-296-324).
In 31 rounds this season, Peters averaged 76.2 strokes per round, good for seventh best in the conference. The Lake Orion, Mich. native finished with the sixth-lowest single-season average in school-history. She finished in the top 10 in five events, including a third-place finish at the Nittany Lion Invitational with a 221 (73-73-75). Peters also tied for fourth at the Ross Resorts at Mid-Pines with a 54-hole total of 225 (74-73-78) and tied for fifth place at the Cardinal Classic with a 148 (71-77). She took home ninth place at UALR Women's Golf Classic with a 223 (76-75-72) and fired a season-low round of 71 in the opening round of the Cardinal Classic.
Scott averaged 76.8 strokes per round, good for 10th best in the conference. She turned in a runner-up showing at the Rio Verde Invitational with a 54 hole total of 218 (70-75-73) and joins EMU greats Catherine Fortin (2007) and Stephany Fleet (2009) as the only Eagles to have ever finished in third place at the league's championship. Scott also finished seventh at the Northern Migration Invitational with a 223 (76-72-75) and tied for 13th place at the Ross Resorts at Mid Pines with a 232 (75-79-78).
The only freshman ranked in the MAC's top 10 in scoring, Podzielinski averaged 76.4 strokes per round, good for ninth best in the conference. The Noblesville, Ind. native finished in the top 10 in four events, including winning the Cardinal Classic with a three-under 141 (72-69). Her total of 141 established the EMU 36-hole standard surpassing Fleet's mark of 143 (69-74). Selected the MAC's Golfer of the Week for the period ending Sept. 20, Podzielinski finished with the seventh lowest single-season average in school-history.
Head coach Sandy Wagner and the rest of the Eagles will now await the announcement of the teams that will participate in the three NCAA regional championships. That announcement will be made April 26. Should they be selected to participate, the Eagles will play at one of three sites: The Ironwood Country Club in Greenville, N.C (East Carolina University, host); Otter Creek Golf Course in Bloomington, Ind. (Indiana University, host) or the Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Calif. (Stanford University, host. The regionals are scheduled for May 6-8 with the NCAA Championship scheduled for The Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C. (UNC Wilmington, host).
All-MAC First Team
Darby Peters, Eastern Michigan
Kristen Hill, Akron
Brittany Kelly, Ball State
Mercedes Germino, Kent State
Martina Gavier, Kent State
Elise Swartout, Western Michigan
* First team was extended due to ties
All-MAC Second Team
Emily Podzielinski, Eastern Michigan
Robyn Scott, Eastern Michigan
Sarah Bradley, Kent State
Michelle Hui, Toledo
Britney Hamilton, Western Michigan
All-Tournament Team
Robyn Scott (EMU)
Martina Gavier (KSU)
Brittany Kelly (BSU)
Shamira Marshall (KSU)
Rachael Pruett (BSU)
Coach of the Year
Katherine Mowat, Ball State
Golfer of the Year
Martina Gavier, Kent State
Freshman of the Year
Emily Podzielinski, Eastern Michigan
MAC Sportsmanship Award
Kirsty O'Connor, Ball State
