Lau Big Ten Golfer of the Year; Record Four Wolverines Named All-Conference
4/27/2022 3:00:00 PM | Women's Golf
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Highlighted by senior Ashley Lau receiving the program's first Big Ten Golfer of the Year honor as well as a school-record four All-Big Ten selections, the University of Michigan women's golf team continued its record-setting season with nine conference awards as announced today (Wednesday, April 27) by the Big Ten.
Joining Lau as All-Big Ten honorees are junior Hailey Borja on the first team as well as sophomore Monet Chun and junior Mikaela Schulz on the second team. Head coach Jan Dowling earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors after leading the Wolverines to the program's first conference championship, and Chun gained a spot on the All-Big Ten Championships team after winning the individual title. In addition, graduate student Ashley Kim was named U-M's sportsmanship award honoree.
Adding to her record-breaking season, Lau became the first Wolverine to win the Mary Fossum Award for the lowest scoring average in the conference and earned her second straight All-Big Ten first-team selection. A three-time medalist this spring, Lau owns a 71.70 scoring average and is on pace to set the Michigan single-season record by almost two full strokes.
Lau has eight sub-70 scores among her team-best 12 sub-par rounds, and she carded a career-low 66 (-4) in the final round of the VyStar Gators Invitational, which helped her rally for the individual win and set a new U-M record for a 54-hole tournament (203, -7). She has led U-M in six of 10 events this season and earned four Big Ten Golfer of the Week accolades -- giving her a program-record five in her career. Her four career individual titles are also a program record.
"Ashley (Lau) has had a phenomenal season and is very deserving of this award," said Dowling. "There were many greats before her; however, for her to be the first to earn this award says so much about her. She's one of the best players in the country and has worked very hard to stay on top of her game and be the best teammate she can be. She's certainly making her mark on our program and the conference."
In her ninth season in Ann Arbor, Dowling is the second Big Ten Coach of the Year in U-M history (Kathy Teichert, 1996). Along with assistant coach AJ Newell, Dowling led Michigan to four team titles as well as five individual victories, highlighted by the program's first Big Ten team championship and second conference individual crown.
In fact, with two runner-up finishes, the Maize and Blue placed among the top two in six of its 10 events. U-M is on pace to shatter the team scoring record with a 290.83, nearly five strokes better than the current record (295.56, 2015-16). Throughout the season, the Wolverines earned six Golfer of the Week accolades.
Borja became the first Wolverine to earn three career conference honors with her first-team selection following back-to-back second-team honors as a freshman and sophomore. She has started all 10 events and ranks third on the team in scoring average (73.50).
"Consistency is the name of the game for Hailey," said Dowling. "During her three years, she has given our program so much. She has helped set the path for our culture and where we want to be. For her to be the first three-time recipient proves her consistency and desire to be great."
After winning the Big Ten title by four shots, Chun earned her second straight All-Big Ten accolade with a second-team selection. After earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and All-Big Ten first-team honors last year, she is averaging a career-best 73.35 per round and set new career lows for her best round (66, -5) and 54-hole total (205, -8).
Schulz earned the first All-Big Ten honor of her career with second-team honors after her career year. She set career bests for scoring average (74.57), single round (67, -4) and 54-hole total (210, -3) and won her second career medalist honor at the season-opening Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 13-14).
"Having four team members earn All-Big Ten honors says so much about the depth of our team and how somebody steps up at every tournament," added Dowling. "That great play is inspiring and contagious. When you combine all that together, for all of them to receive these honors is such a wonderful accomplishment."
Returning for a fifth season due to COVID-19, Kim has posted a stroke average of 75.53 while playing in five tournaments this season, and she has a 74.75 career mark in 40 events.
The Wolverines will host one of six NCAA regionals at the U-M Golf Course, Monday through Wednesday, May 9-11. The three-day, 54-hole event will feature a 12-team field with six additional invited individuals. The 66-player field will be playing for four team and two individual spots for the NCAA Finals in Arizona.
2021-22 Big Ten Conference Women's Golf Awards
Big Ten Golfer of the Year: Ashley Lau, Michigan
Big Ten Freshman of the Year: Lauryn Nguyen, Northwestern
Big Ten Coach of the Year: Jan Dowling, Michigan
Mary Fossum Award Winner (lowest scoring average): Ashley Lau, Michigan
All-Big Ten First Team
Kornkamol Sukaree, Illinois
Crystal Wang, Illinois
Patricie Mackova, Maryland
Hailey Borja, Michigan
Ashley Lau, Michigan
Valery Plata, Michigan State
Jennifer Cai, Northwestern
Kan Bunnabodee, Purdue
All-Big Ten Second Team
Azine Donegan, Indiana
Monet Chun, Michigan
Mikaela Schulz, Michigan
Kirsten Baete, Nebraska
Lauryn Nguyen, Northwestern
Kelly Sim, Northwestern
Aneka Seumanutafa, Ohio State
Inez Wanamarta, Purdue
Big Ten Sportsmanship Honorees
Alise Knudson, Illinois
Mary Parsons, Indiana
Dana Lerner, Iowa
Karla Vazquez Setzer, Maryland
Ashley Kim, Michigan
Shannon Kennedy, Michigan State
Emma Carpenter, Minnesota
Kirsten Baete, Nebraska
Kelly Su, Northwestern
Alexis Phadungmartvorakul, Ohio State
Mathilde Delavallade, Penn State
Kan Bunnabodee, Purdue
Rikke Nordvik, Rutgers
Mackenzie Hahn, Wisconsin
All-Big Ten Championship Team
Crystal Wang, Illinois
Patricie Mackova, Maryland
Maria Vittoria Corbi, Maryland
Monet Chun, Michigan
Leila Raines, Michigan State
Kirsten Baete, Nebraska
Jennifer Cai, Northwestern
Lauryn Nguyen, Northwestern
Faith Choi, Ohio State
Emily Lauterbach, Wisconsin
Players Mentioned
