LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- In exclusive voting by the head coaches of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), the league office today announced the 2021 postseason award winners in the sport of women's golf. 2021 All-SCAC Women's Golf Team
Southwestern University's Madison Goldberg was named the Golfer of the Year, while Trinity University's Kiona Hsiu was chosen as the Freshman of the Year. Trinity head coach Carla Spenkoch earned Coach of the Year honors.
Goldberg, a junior from Austin, Texas, was the league's medalist at the 2021 SCAC Championships at Vaaler Creek, firing rounds of rounds of 72 and 82 to finish at 154, one shot better than Trinity's Raquel Hill. Her winning score tied for the fourth-lowest in a 36-hole championship in conference history, and her opening round 72 tied for the lowest opening round in the history of a 36-hole championship (with Rhodes College's Emily Burch from the 2001 championship). Goldberg posted top five finishes in each of the four competitions the Pirates participated this season, adding second place finishes at both the West Region Invitational and the SCAC Preview with a fifth-place finish at the Schreiner Spring Shootout to her resume. Her second-place finish at the West Region Invitational earned her SCAC Golfer of the Week honors.
Goldberg earned her second straight WGCA All-Region nod with that group's announcement two weeks ago, the only SCAC student-athlete to earn recognition to the elite squad. She finished the spring as the 39th ranked player in the nation (according to GolfStat) with an adjusted scoring average of 77.78. Her selection as Golfer of the Year marks the ninth time a Southwestern women's golfer has taken home the league's top honor - the most of any program in conference history.
Hsiu, a freshman from Missouri City, Texas, posted top 10 finishes in each of the Tigers' five spring tournaments, including at the 2021 SCAC Championships where she shot identical rounds of 78 (156) to finish third overall. Her eagle on Hole No. 8 during Tuesday's final round was the only eagle of the tournament. Hsiu carded a third-place individual finish at the Alamo City Classic, which included a team-low final round 77, to earn Golfer of the Week honors in her inaugural collegiate tournament.
Hsiu is second consecutive Trinity golfer to earn Freshman of the Year honors, following teammate Raquel Hill's selection in 2019. Her selection marks the fifth overall for Trinity - the most of any program in conference history.
Spenkoch led the Tigers to the 2021 SCAC women's title - the program's first conference title since 2017 and fifth overall. The 17th-ranked Tigers placed three golfers in the top five in posting team scores of 320 and 325 for a 645 (+69), eight shots clear of two-time defending champion Southwestern University. Trailing by one shot heading into the final round, Trinity became the first women's team to come from behind on the final day to win the conference title since the 2014 Tigers overcame a five-shot first round deficit to earn Spenkoch her first SCAC title.
The Coach of the Year honor is the fourth for Spenkoch and the fifth overall for a Trinity women's golf coach.
