May 11, 2009
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's golf program hosted its annual end of the year banquet on Friday, May 1 at Campo di Bocce in Los Gatos. The team enjoyed a great Italian Dinner follow with an awards presentation.
The Broncos wrapped up their most successful season in a long time with two team first place finishes and three individual titles. SCU broke the team scoring record with a 294 at the Boise State Bronco Invitational and has their first individualist qualify for the postseason. The Broncos did this all while maintaining a competitive GPA in the classroom.
"As a coach I couldn't ask for anything more from the team this year," said head coach Polly Schulze. "We have reached a new level of competition and now it's time to build on it. The team will be working very hard over the summer to continue their competitiveness at the national level."
Team Awards
Most Inspirational went to junior Jamie Nonaka. Nonaka suffered an ankle injury late in the season just when it appeared her game was peaking. But she battled through it and kept an upbeat attitude the entire time. She never let it get her down and supported her team even when she wasn't able to compete.
Junior captain Erin Sullivan received the Bronco Spirit Award. The honor goes to the athlete who most embodies the ideals and values of being a Santa Clara student-athlete. Sullivan was a great team captain this year and endlessly supports her fellow teammates while at the same time staying competitive both on the course and in the classroom. She was the unanimous decision for this award and it was well deserved.
Most Valuable Player honors went to sophomore Miki Ueoka. Ueoka had three individual wins and became the first SCU women's golfer to earn a berth to the NCAA West Regional. She led the team on the course the entire year and has set a standard for the team moving forward.
The team also honored assistant coach Corey Utsurogi as she will be attending the University of San Diego Law School in the fall. Utsurogi generously donated her time this year as a volunteer coach and truly embodied the idea of giving back to Santa Clara. She graduated last June after a successful four year stint on the women's golf team and immediately turned around and made an impact on our program. Her tireless spirit and love for Santa Clara women's golf was truly appreciated and will be sorely missed.
The team votes on all awards so they are truly votes amongst their peers and are an honor.
