McDonald Named To SEC's All-Freshman Team
"I'm so excited to be considered part of this group," she said. "Some of the best golfers in the nation play in the SEC and just to be mentioned in the same group is a huge honor. I'm so thankful for the opportunities I've had this season, and I'm looking forward to helping grow the MSU golf program."
She is the first Lady Bulldog to be named to an all-conference team since Amanda Mathis garnered second-team honors in 2007. This is the program's 22nd All-SEC selection in its 32-year history.
McDonald is on pace to set MSU's all-time single-season freshman scoring average record. Her 74.22 clip is only second on the overall list by two-hundredths of a stroke.
She is currently ranked as the 68th-best player nationally according to the GolfStat Cup, the highest an MSU freshman has ever been ranked. McDonald is the 11th-ranked freshman.
The Fulton, Miss., native nearly claimed her first tourney title when she posted a runner-up finish at the John Kirk/Panther Intercollegiate with a 4-under-par 212 card. The performance earned her SEC Golfer of the Week honors.
McDonald finished the regular season with two Top 5's and four Top 10's. She missed the Top 25 only twice.
"The SEC All-Freshman team is a great honor for Ally," MSU coach Ginger Brown-Lemm said. "She has worked very hard this season and has handled everything thrown her way. She is so deserving of this award from not only an athletic ability standpoint, but also from an academic and personal standpoint. I'm so excited to see Ally represent Mississippi State and the women's golf program for three great seasons to come."
Camilla Hedberg of the Florida Gators claimed the SEC's Freshman of the Year award as the 24th-ranked player in the nation. Other members of the All-Freshman team include Madeline Sagstrom (LSU), Victoria Trapani (Auburn), Rocio Sanchez Lobato (Georgia), Kendall Martindale (Vanderbilt), A.J. Newell (Tennessee), and Justine Dreher (South Carolina).
McDonald received an NCAA Regional bid for the West Regional to be hosted at the Colorado National Golf Course in Erie, Colo., on May 10-12. She is the first Lady Bulldog to make a postseason appearance since Mathis' 2007 36th-place finish in the East Regional.