May 18, 2009

Coral Springs, Fla. - The National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) announced its Division II awards for student-athletes and coaches before the NCAA Championships last week and Grand Valley State was well represented throughout the awards. Four Lakers earned all-region status, while a pair of GVSU golfers garnered All-America honors.

First-year Laker head coach Rebecca Mailloux was named the East Region Coach of the Year and was one of just two coaches to win the award outright. In both the South and West regions, there were co-recipients of the award. Mailloux helped lead Grand Valley State to a regional title, winning the event by 42 strokes, and the Lakers brought home a second-place finish at the NCAA Championships over the weekend.

Sophomore Kristina Langton earned First Team All-America laurels, as she was one of just six golfers to be named to the first team. Langton placed in a tie for 15th with a score of 313 at the national tournament after totaling a second-place performance at regionals. She was also the medalist of the GLIAC Tournament, which was held at The Meadows in Allendale, Mich.

Junior Ashley Smith was tabbed as an honorable mention All-American, as she finished in a tie for 12th place at the national tournament with a score of 310. Smith was remarkably consistent throughout the four rounds with scores of 77, 78, 77, and 78. She was named the GLIAC Golfer of the Year and finished in fourth place at the regional tournament.

Grand Valley State also tallied four of the five players on the All-Region East team, including Langton, Smith, junior Caitlin Bennett and sophomore Allie Tyler. Bennett tied Smith with a 12th place finish at the national championships and notched a fifth-place tally at regionals. Tyler was the medalist of the regional tournament, leading a group of four Lakers in the top-five of the event. At the GLIAC Tournament, Tyler finished in sixth place, while Bennett placed ninth in the field.