Murray State University Athletics
Four Lady Racer Golfers Earn All-American Scholar
7/17/2006 5:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Four members of the Murray State women's golf team earned National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team honors for the 2005-06 school year, an honor that recognizes success in both halves of the phrase "student-athlete."
Named to the honor from Murray State were senior Ashley Kelbough, senior Ilka Loubser, junior Christi Baron and freshman Bethany Yates. Baron and Kelbough each earned their third such honor, while Loubser marked her second honor. The four golfers are the most that MSU has ever had named to the honor in one school year.
"In my opinion, this is the most prestigious award a women's golfer can win," said MSU women's golf coach Velvet Milkman, "because it shows that they are not only good on the golf course, but good in the classroom as well. It shows both halves of the phrase 'student-athlete.'
"These ladies are certainly deserving of this award. All four have strong work ethics, and the two seniors were each honored at graduation in May. Ilka Loubser was named the Most Outstanding Student in Finance, while Ashley Kelbough was named the Most Outstanding Student in Outdoor Recreation."
"Only two other schools nationwide in Division I -- Ball State and South Carolina -- placed more members on the NGCA All-America Scholar Team than Murray State," said Matt Kelly, MSU assistant athletics director for academics. "Murray State had more members than any other Division I school in the state (Kentucky had two, Louisville had one) and more than any other Ohio Valley Conference school (Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky had three each, while Jacksonville State had one).
"This says a lot about the student-athletes in our women's golf program and Coach Milkman's commitment to academics."
"We are really proud of these young ladies," said MSU director of athletics Allen Ward. "They deserve all the respect in the world. Not only are they fine athletes, but they are also exceptional students."
Murray State has had 16 student-athletes named to the honor in every school year since the 1997-98 school year, when Jessica Widman earned the first of her three honors (1998, 1999, 2000). Megan Rees earned the honor in the 2000-01 and 2001-02 school years, while Kristen Margherio was also named to the 2001-02 Scholar Team, the first year that the Lady Racers claimed multiple honorees.
Kelbough took the honor in the 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2005-06 school years, becoming MSU's first-ever freshman to be named to the award, while Baron was named to the honor in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06. Loubser and Camilla Loeveid were named to the 2004-05 Scholar Team.
Some 371 student-athletes were named to the honor this year from all three NCAA divisions, including 243 from Division I. Eleven golfers from the Ohio Valley Conference earned the honor this year, including three from Austin Peay, three from Eastern Kentucky and one from Jacksonville State.
Criteria for selection to the NGCA All-American Scholar Team are among the most stringent in all college athletics. Women's golfers must earn a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or better on a 4.0-scale and have competed in at least 50 percent of the team's regularly-scheduled competitive rounds during the year.
The National Golf Coaches Foundation was founded in 1983 to represent women's collegiate golf coaches. The NCGA 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 more than 400 coaches throughout the U.S., and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.
