McDonald Named First-Team All-American By WGCA
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Following the record-setting 2014 campaign for the Maroon and White, Ally McDonald was selected first-team All-American for the second-straight year, as announced by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association Thursday.
McDonald becomes just the second Bulldog to claim multiple first-team honors and first to do so in back-to-back seasons since Carri Wood did so in the 1992 and 1993 seasons.
“Recognizing Ally [McDonald] in this way further reinforces that she is the total package student-athlete,” fourth-year head coach Ginger Brown-Lemm said. “She represents the Mississippi State women’s golf program, our university and the game of golf with the highest of standards and commitment.”
With the lowest single-season stroke average (71.48) and most birdies in a season (114) in school history, McDonald guided MSU to a sixth-place finish in its second-consecutive NCAA Championship appearance. McDonald captured six top-5 and 10 top-25 scorecards on the year, including the tournament championship in the Old Waverly Bulldog Invitational back in the fall.
The Fulton, Miss., native teed off the year in record-setting pace by setting the lowest 18-hole score in program history with a 6-under-par 66 in the first round of the season. McDonald capped off the season with a fourth-place finish in the NCAA Central Regional and placing tied for fourth in the national championship.
The All-American will return for her senior season boasting the best career stroke average (72.68), most rounds in the 60’s (17), par or better rounds (51) and birdies (296) in program history.
McDonald was one of three Southeastern Conference golfers to be named first-team, alongside Stephanie Meadow of Alabama and Gaby Lopez of Arkansas. Simin Feng of Vanderbilt, Samantha Swinehart of South Carolina and Marijosse Navarro of Texas A&M notched second-team honors, while Justine Dreher of South Carolina and Emma Talley of Alabama were honorable mention.
For more information on the team, follow the Mississippi State women’s golf Twitter account, @HailStateWG, and Facebook page, facebook.com/HailStateWG.
2014 WGCA 1st Team All-American
Laetitia Beck, Duke
Celine Boutier, Duke
Doris Chen, Southern California
Tonje Daffinrud, Denver
Noemi Jimenez, Arizona State
Kyung Kim, Southern California
Lauren Kim, Stanford
Alison Lee, UCLA
Gaby Lopez, Arkansas
Ally McDonald, Mississippi State
Stephanie Meadow, Alabama
Grace Na, Pepperdine
Mariah Stackhouse, Stanford
WGCA 2nd Team All-American
Matilda Castren, Florida State
Karen Chung, Southern California
Simin Feng, Vanderbilt
Dana Finkelstein, UNLV
SooBin Kim, Washington
Erynne Lee, UCLA
Yu Liu, Duke
Marijosse Navaroo, Texas A&M
Annie Park, Southern California
Samantha Swinehart, South Carolina
Lindsey Weaver, Arizona
WGCA Honorable Mention
Daniela Darquea, Miami
Justine Dreher, South Carolina
Augusta James, NC State
Chirapat Jao-Javanil, Oklahoma
Alexandra Kaui, Oklahoma
Bronte Law, UCLA
Brittany Marchand, NC State
Wad Phaewchimplee, Kent State
Sophia Popov, Southern California
Jessica Porvasnik, Ohio State
Ashlan Ramsey, Clemson
Louise Ridderstrom, UCLA
Emma Talley, Alabama
Anne-Catherine Tanguay, Oklahoma
Charlotte Thomas, Washington
Jennifer Yang, Washington
- HailState.com -