McNeil represents ‘Jackets with second-team all-GNAC honors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, April 26, 2016 McNeil represents ‘Jackets with second-team all-GNAC honors

In a memorable freshman season, Yellowjacket women’s golfer Kortney McNeil earns second-team all-conference honors after ranking seventh overall in the GNAC in scoring average.

PORTLAND, Ore. – After breaking the Montana State University Billings women’s golf two-round total record three different times and posting the seventh-best scoring average in the entire Great Northwest Athletic Conference, Yellowjacket freshman Kortney McNeil has earned second-team all-league honors announced by the conference office on Tuesday.

“Kortney is very deserving of her GNAC all-conference honors this season,” said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. “She had a tremendous freshman year. Kortney works extremely hard at her game and it is nice to see that hard work recognized.”

McNeil, a true freshman and Billings Senior High School graduate, posted a scoring average of 78.2 on the year and was 2/10 of a stroke short of tying the MSUB single-season record (Kalli Stanhope, 78.0, 2011-12).

In McNeil’s three best events of the year, she posted a 146 (71-75) at the NCAA D2 National Preview tournament and tied for eighth, and a pair of 147s at the Yellowjacket Fall Invite and the Western New Mexico Invite. The previous school

record for a two-round total by an individual was 149, held by Kalli Stanhope and matched this year by freshman Anna DeMars as well.

McNeil’s single round of 71 at the national preview event was one stroke shy of tying Stanhope’s single-round school record of 70.

In 18 total events on the year, McNeil had two rounds at par or better and finished in the top-10 in 5 of 9 events played. She was the top finisher at MSUB’s fall invitational tournament, and she finished tied for 18th at the GNAC Championships with a score of 160 (82-78).

McNeil earned GNAC Golfer of the Week honors after her eighth-place performance at the national preview tournament. Her efforts at the event helped the Yellowjackets break a pair of team records as MSUB shot a 297 in the first round and a 610 overall to better the school record by four strokes.

Senior Jennifer Liedes of Saint Martin’s University and sophomore Jenn Paul of Western Washington were picked as the conference’s co-Players of the Year. Simon Fraser University head coach John Buchanan earned Coach of the Year after leading the Clan to their first-ever conference title. SFU’s Emily Lueng was honored as the Freshman of the Year.

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