Mann, Morrison Share Bruin Athlete Weekly Award; Bruins Up a Spot to 4th in Nation

NEWBERG, Ore. – George Fox University women’s golfers Abby Mann and Kelsey Morrison share the Bruin Women’s Athlete of the Week award for Oct. 22-28 after Mann turned in a record-setting round during the Sonoma State Invitational on Oct. 22-23 and Morrison won the Northwest Conference Fall Classic on Oct. 27-28.

Mann, a senior from Medford, Ore., finished in a tie for third in the Sonoma State Invitational with a score of 79-69=148, four-over-par, on the par-72, 5,809-yard course at the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Golf and Country Club. Her second-day score of 69, which included four birdies and an eagle on the par-5 second hole with a final 75-yard shot that rolled in, established a new single-round record for the tournament.  It also tied the all-time course record for a woman, set by native daughter Pam Palmieri, who played for Stanford University from 1974-76. 

George Fox finished 10th out of 12 teams in the event, with all but one other team (California Lutheran University) being from either NCAA Division II or NAIA athletic scholarship-granting schools. 

Morrison, a senior from Yucca Valley, Calif., captured medalist honors for the fourth time in five tournaments the Bruins have played this fall with a four-over-par 75-73=148 to win the NWC Fall Classic at the par-72, 5,957-yard Tri-Mountain Golf Course in Ridgefield, Wash.  She was the tournament leader by four strokes after the first day, and tied for the best round on Sunday with Emily Guthrie of Whitworth University, the tournament runner-up who shot an 80-73=153.  With Morrison leading the way, the Bruins won the Fall Classic for the fourth year in a row, this time by 52 strokes.

A Second Team All-American in 2011 and a First Teamer last year, Morrison had already won the O’Brien National Invitational in Notre Dame, Ind., on Sept. 16-17, the Boxer Classic in Banks, Ore., on Sept.22-23, and the Culturame Classic in Aloha, Ore., on Oct. 6-7.  She currently ranks No. 2 in the nation in stroke average (75.0).  She has been the NWC Women’s Golf Student-Athlete of the Week twice this fall, and the Bruin Athlete of the Week twice previously this year.

The George Fox University Bruin Athlete of the Week Award for both men and women is presented throughout the sports seasons to recognize and honor outstanding athletic achievements and records by Bruin student-athletes.

2012-13 George Fox Bruin Women’s Athletes of the Week

Aug. 27-Sept. 2 - Courtney Hochstetler (Cross Country)

Sept. 3-9 - Kelsey Prentice (Cross Country)

Sept. 10-16 - Lucy Capron (Volleyball)

Sept. 17-23 - Kelsey Morrison (Golf)

Sept. 24-30 - Lucy Capron (Volleyball)

Oct. 1-7 - Tiffany Burk (Volleyball), Kelsey Morrison (Golf)

Oct. 8-14 - Michelle Young (Soccer)

Oct. 15-21 - Lucy Capron (Volleyball)

Oct. 22-28 - Abby Mann, Kelsey Morrison (Golf)

NATIONAL POLL: After a solid effort against several scholarships schools in the Sonoma State Invitational and a huge win in the Northwest Conference Fall Classic this past week, the George Fox Bruins have climbed one spot to No. 4 in the latest Golf World / National Golf Coaches Association national poll for the NCAA Division III, their highest ranking ever.

The Bruins collected 394 points, five more than the previous month’s total.  The top three teams all held their spots.  Methodist University, which has won 15 straight NCAA titles, remained No. 1 with 17 first-place votes and 487 points, followed by Washington University-St. Louis with one first and 448 points, and Centre College with 430 points.  George Fox passed DePauw University, which slipped to No. 6 with 390 points behind the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor with 391.

George Fox remained the highest-rated team from Region 5 (the West Region).  Also in the top 25 from the West were Mary Hardin-Baylor, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (8th, 303 points), Southwestern University of Texas (12th, 242), Schreiner College (14th, 223), the University of Texas-Tyler (16th, 202), the University of California-Santa Cruz (18th, 150), and Trinity University of Texas (23rd, 88).  Whitman College, another Northwest Conference team, was among “others receiving votes” with 30 points.

All national rankings will be found in the upcoming Nov. 12 issue of Golf World magazine, and can be seen now at http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/blogs/college-golf/womens-coaches-polls-1/.