April 27, 2009

FRISCO, Texas - Lamar golfer Therese Nilsson was named to the Southland Conference First Team on Monday, becoming the first player in league history to claim first team honors all four years. Senior Channing Norton was named to the second team and junior Linda Persson earned honorable mention plaudits.

For Nilsson her career has been exemplary since transferring to Lamar from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. She is the first golfer in league history to be named Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and win individual honors at the league championship.

As a senior in 2008-09, the Vellinge, Sweden native led Lamar with a 76.89 stroke average and posted five top-10 finishes including her lone tourney win of the year at the Xavier/LPGA International Invitational in the fall. She concluded her career with five tournament titles and a 76.00 stroke average over 107 rounds.

Norton is a four-year letterwinner from Cleveland, Texas, who picked up her first-ever SLC postseason honor. She concluded last week's SLC Championship tied for 19th to collect her second-straight top-20 finish at the year-end event. She posted a career-low 77.62 scoring avg. this season with four top-10 and eight top-20 finishes.

Persson wrapped-up her campaign with a 78.06 stroke average after tying for fourth at the SLC Championship. The junior from Hollviken, Sweden, also was named the SLC Women's Golfer of the Month for March. She turned out four top-five finishes on the year, including in each of the final three tournaments.

Nicole Forshner of Central Arkansas was named the Player of the Year after posting a league-best 75.23 stroke avg. and four individual medalist awards. Carol Blackmar of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was named the Coach of the Year after leading the Islanders to their first-ever SLC Championship crown, while Gabby De Reuck and Sydney Liles of Texas State were named the Freshman and Newcomer of the Year, respectively.