After playing a major role in the Bulldogs' success, three members of the No. 9 University of Redlands women's golf team collected significant recognition from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), as announced Tuesday. First-year Kendall Nicholson (Bellevue, WA) headlines the skilled trio by not only making the First Team but was also taking home the 2019 SCIAC Athlete of the Year as well as the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year awards. Sophomore Annie Hay (University Place, WA) joins her on the First Team by making her second All-Conference appearance, while senior Keilee Bessho (La Canada, CA) earns Second-Team honors in her first year with the Bulldogs.
In her Redlands debut, Nicholson shined by leading the conference with a seven-round score of 75.57, which includes the SCIAC No. 1 and No. 2 tournaments, and the SCIAC Championships. Nicholson stepped onto the scene early by beating out a field of 48 competitors to earn medalist honors at the SCIAC No. 1 tournament with an impressive score of 151. On the second day of the tournament, she registered a tournament-low 74 to help her team to a second-place finish. At the SCIAC Championships, Nicholson finished with an overall tally of 231 strokes for fourth overall.
With her inaugural First-Team nod, Hay shot 532 strokes over seven rounds for an average of 76.00. Hay etched her name in the Bulldog record books with an impressive score of 142 at the SCIAC No. 2 Tournament to tie for third-best in school history. She owned a five-shot lead for the win by signing her scorecard with rounds of 72 and 70 for the lowest scores of her year. She also captured a second-place showing at the SCIAC Championships with a total score of 228, which was just one shot behind the leader.
Bessho added depth to the squad in her first year with the Bulldogs, as she boasted an average of 78.2 through seven rounds to earn a Second-Team nod. After bouncing back from a score of 165 at the SCIAC No. 1 Tournament, Bessho shot her lowest round of 74 en route to a total score of 151 for eighth place. She also scored well at the SCIAC Championships with two rounds of 75 to contribute to a total score of 232.
For a complete list of this year's All-SCIAC teams, please visit the conference's website.
Redlands now awaits the announcement for a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championships, which begin on Tuesday, May 14, in Houston, Texas.