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 Caroline Hedwall, a sophomore at Oklahoma State University and this year’s NCAA individual champion, has been chosen as the nation’s top female golfer. The honor was based on the results of national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, now in its 34th year.
The Honda Sports Award is given annually to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports, along with automatic eligibility to become a “Top Three” finalist for the Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year.
Hedwall was voted over three other nominees: Cydney Clayton, a junior at Auburn University, Jennifer Johnson, a freshman at Arizona State University and Jennifer Song, a sophomore at the University of Southern California. The nominees were selected by finish at the NCAA Championships and rankings.
“I am very proud of Caroline and all she accomplished this season," noted Annie Young, Oklahoma State head coach. "Not only was her performance on the course and in the class room exceptional, she developed into a tremendous leader and set a high standard for our young team to follow as well.”
A native of Loddekopinge, Sweden, Hedwall finished this year’s NCAA Championships four shots in the lead to become the first player in Oklahoma State history to capture the NCAA individual title, tying the NCAA scoring record with her 12-under score.
A First-Team All-American for the second consecutive year, she was also named the PING/NGCA Division I Player of the Year by the National Golf Coaches Association. Hedwall opened her spring season with victories at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic and the Arizona Wildcat Invitational, and earned her third victory at the Big 12 Championship.
Overall, she finished the year with five victories after winning the Golfweek Conference Challenge in the fall, and was never lower than fourth in any of the meets in which she competed. She finished under par in seven of her 12 starts this year and was 25-under par overall on the season. She tallied a 71.14 stroke average to break the school’s single-season scoring record – which she set herself as a freshman. She was awarded the Golfstat Cup, in addition to being named Big 12 Player of Year for the second-straight season.
Like many Honda Sports Award winners, Hedwall is an academic standout in addition to her excellence in athletics. She is an Academic All-District Second-Team honoree with a 3.5.GPA, majoring in Sociology. Hedwall announced following the NCAA Championship event she will forego her final two years of eligibility and join the professional ranks.
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