May 3, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C.. — For the third-straight year, South Carolina women’s golfer Katelyn Dambaugh earned All-SEC honors, the league announced on Tuesday afternoon. The junior was tabbed a First-Team All-SEC selection after tallying six top-10 finishes throughout the regular season and a runner-up showing at the 2016 SEC Championship. Fellow junior Marianna Monaco was also honored by the conference, as she was placed on the Community Service Team.

Dambaugh, a Second-Team All-SEC honoree in her first two seasons at South Carolina, becomes the eighth Gamecock to be named to the league’s First Team, and she is just the fourth player in program history to garner three all-conference laurels. Tuesday’s announcement marked the ninth All-SEC selection for South Carolina under head coach Kalen Anderson, who guided the Gamecocks to their 18th-straight NCAA postseason appearance this season.

Dambaugh emerged as one of the most consistent golfers in the country in her junior campaign, notching top-10 finishes in seven of nine tournaments, including all five of South Carolina’s events this spring. Her five top-five finishes match the program record for the most in a season by a junior, and she led the Gamecocks in scoring in seven tournaments, finishing under par in four events.

The Goose Creek, S.C., native’s 71.89 stroke average, the best single-season scoring mark in program history, ranks 12th in Division I and second in the SEC. Dambaugh currently holds South Carolina’s lowest career scoring average (73.14), and she has carded a team-high 13 rounds of par or better this season. She matched the 18-hole program record with a 65 (-7) in the first round of the ANNIKA Intercollegiate this past fall, and she posted a final-round 66 (-6) at the SEC Championship to momentarily grab the individual lead at the 54-hole event.

Monaco, who has appeared in two tournaments for the Gamecocks, led South Carolina with over 26 hours of community service this spring. She took part in various activities, including National Girls and Women in Sports Day, and the Yonkers, N.Y. native also volunteered for the Spring Valley Baseball Booster Club. Monaco transferred to South Carolina at the start of the spring semester following two seasons at Newberry College.

No. 24 South Carolina opens NCAA postseason play on Thursday at the Baton Rouge Regional at University Club. The Gamecocks, the No. 6 seed in the region, will look to secure a top-six finish in the field of 18 teams and advance to the NCAA Championship for the 16th time in program history. Check back on GamecocksOnline.com on Wednesday for a full preview of the three-day event.

First Team All-SEC
Maria Torres, Florida
Bailey Tardy, Georgia
Katelyn Dambaugh, South Carolina
Cheyenne Knight, Alabama
Harang Lee, Georgia
Maddie Szeryk, Texas A&M
Anna Newell, Tennessee
Emma Talley, Alabama

Second Team All-SEC
Lakareber Abe, Alabama
Maria Fassi, Arkansas
Janie Jackson, Alabama
Karolina Vlckova, Florida
Jillian Hollis, Georgia
Jennifer Hahn, Vanderbilt
Michelle Butler, Missouri
Taylor Tomlinson, Florida

Coach of the Year
Mic Potter, Alabama

Player of the Year
Maria Torres, Florida

Freshman of the Year
Bailey Tardy, Georgia

Co-Scholar Athletes of the Year
Abby Newton, Ole Miss
Lucia Polo, Tennessee

All-Freshman Team
Rinko Mitsunaga, Georgia
Cheyenne Knight, Alabama
Bailey Tardy, Georgia
Sam Wagner, Florida
Jillian Hollis, Georgia
Emma Allen, Missouri
Maria Fassi, Arkansas
Shannon Brooks, Tennessee

Community Service Team
Cammie Gray, Alabama
Summar Roachell, Arkansas
Kelli Murphy, Auburn
Kelly Grassel, Florida
Sylvie Brick, Georgia
Ale Walker, Kentucky
Claudia De Antonio, LSU
Alison Hovatter, Ole Miss
Logan Chaney, Mississippi State
Jessica Meek, Missouri
Marianna Monaco, South Carolina
Telen Hughes, Tennessee
Callie Scheffler, Texas A&M
Lauren Johnson, Vanderbilt