Eastern Michigan Athletics
Trio of Eagles Named WGCA All-American Scholars
7/6/2017 11:14:00 AM | Women's Golf
Maria Connelly, Thelma Beck, and Kelsey Murphy picked up the honor
WGCA Release
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University women's golf team saw three Eagles garner Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholar recognition as the organization released the team Wednesday, July 5. EMU's three selections ranked tied for fourth-most in the Mid-American Conference, while the Green and White were one of six MAC schools to have multiple student-athletes recognized.
The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.50. EMU's three selections come from a 952 player list ranging from Division I, II, and III.
Earning the award for Eastern Michigan were freshman Maria Connelly (Waterville, Ohio-Anthony Wayne), junior Thelma Beck (Baden, France-Lycee Sainte Anne), and senior Kelsey Murphy (Plymouth, Mich.-Plymouth). Murphy picks up the honor for the fourth time in her career, while Beck makes the list for the second time.
Connelly played in nine tournaments in her first season donning the Green and White, totaling 27 rounds. At the Kzoo Classic, Oct. 3-4, the Waterville, Ohio native carded a season-low 73 in the second round en route to a 13th-place finish. Shooting 231 for the tournament, Connelly grabbed the first top-15 finish of her career, while the Eagles won the Kzoo Classic. She topped that with an eighth-place finish at the Rio Verde Invitational, Feb. 24-26, posting back-to-back round scores of 73 to claim a top-10 finish and lead the Eagles to another tournament title.
Beck ranked 12th in the MAC in scoring average at 75.96. She posted three top-10 finishes this season, including a two-day mark of 222 (72-72-78) to earn herself a tie for second-place at the Kzoo Classic. Beck added a seventh-place finish at the MAC Championships with a 228 (75-77-76) and tied for eighth at the IU Invitational at 225 (77-72-76). She tied for 18th at the 3M Augusta Invitational with a score of 224 (75-73-76) and finished in 24th at the Bradley Invite with a 223 (75-73-75). Overall, her career scoring average is second-best in program history at 76.25 in 80 all-time rounds played.
Murphy wrapped up a sensational EMU career, as she was selected Second Team All-MAC for the third time, joining Darby Peters (2009-12) as the only student-athletes in school history to grab all-conference honors in each of their four years playing. Murphy posted an average of 75.04 strokes per round, the second-lowest in program history. Overall, she had three top-10 finishes this season and 11 in her career. Ranked 445th nationally by Golfweek, Murphy had a season low of 69 in the final round of the Rocket Classic. She added a runner-up finish with a score of 219 (75-75-69) at the Rocket Classic and a second-place tie at the Kzoo Classic with a 222 (73-78-71) score.
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University women's golf team saw three Eagles garner Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholar recognition as the organization released the team Wednesday, July 5. EMU's three selections ranked tied for fourth-most in the Mid-American Conference, while the Green and White were one of six MAC schools to have multiple student-athletes recognized.
The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.50. EMU's three selections come from a 952 player list ranging from Division I, II, and III.
Earning the award for Eastern Michigan were freshman Maria Connelly (Waterville, Ohio-Anthony Wayne), junior Thelma Beck (Baden, France-Lycee Sainte Anne), and senior Kelsey Murphy (Plymouth, Mich.-Plymouth). Murphy picks up the honor for the fourth time in her career, while Beck makes the list for the second time.
Connelly played in nine tournaments in her first season donning the Green and White, totaling 27 rounds. At the Kzoo Classic, Oct. 3-4, the Waterville, Ohio native carded a season-low 73 in the second round en route to a 13th-place finish. Shooting 231 for the tournament, Connelly grabbed the first top-15 finish of her career, while the Eagles won the Kzoo Classic. She topped that with an eighth-place finish at the Rio Verde Invitational, Feb. 24-26, posting back-to-back round scores of 73 to claim a top-10 finish and lead the Eagles to another tournament title.
Beck ranked 12th in the MAC in scoring average at 75.96. She posted three top-10 finishes this season, including a two-day mark of 222 (72-72-78) to earn herself a tie for second-place at the Kzoo Classic. Beck added a seventh-place finish at the MAC Championships with a 228 (75-77-76) and tied for eighth at the IU Invitational at 225 (77-72-76). She tied for 18th at the 3M Augusta Invitational with a score of 224 (75-73-76) and finished in 24th at the Bradley Invite with a 223 (75-73-75). Overall, her career scoring average is second-best in program history at 76.25 in 80 all-time rounds played.
Murphy wrapped up a sensational EMU career, as she was selected Second Team All-MAC for the third time, joining Darby Peters (2009-12) as the only student-athletes in school history to grab all-conference honors in each of their four years playing. Murphy posted an average of 75.04 strokes per round, the second-lowest in program history. Overall, she had three top-10 finishes this season and 11 in her career. Ranked 445th nationally by Golfweek, Murphy had a season low of 69 in the final round of the Rocket Classic. She added a runner-up finish with a score of 219 (75-75-69) at the Rocket Classic and a second-place tie at the Kzoo Classic with a 222 (73-78-71) score.
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