NAU rookie golfer Stephanie Kim was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year on Monday by the league.
"Stephanie Kim is a stud," coach Brad Bedortha said. "For her to come in as a freshman and play this well has been pretty amazing. She has got better as the spring has progressed."
Kim, a Phoenix Desert Vista product, posted a scoring average of 75.96 in 10 tournaments this season.
She captured medalist honors at the Grand Canyon Fall Invitational and the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic last week in Chandler. Kim shot a single-round school-record 68 in the first round of the Cowgirl Classic and tied the school 54-hole record with an even-par 216.
Kim also earned top-five finishes at the Cal Poly Fall Invitational and the Northern Arizona Red Rocks tournament this spring.
"I am very honored," Kim said. "I did not expect it at all. It is very surprising and feels really good. It is a great confidence booster and hopefully I can finish strong at the conference championships."
Kim is the first golfer in league history to win Freshman of the Year and the Player of the Year honor in the same season.
She is believed to be the first female in any sport to accomplish the feat in the Big Sky. Eastern Washington basketball player Rodney Stuckey, now with the NBA's Detroit Pistons, won both honors in 2005-06.
Kim is the third student-athlete in school history to be named Freshman of the Year and is the sixth player in school history to claim Player of the Year honors.
Kim helped NAU to four tournament titles this past season. The Lumberjacks enter next week's Big Sky Championship as the favorite to repeat.
The tournament is set for April 19-21 at the Ocotillo Golf Resort in Chandler, the same site as the Cowgirl Classic.
Sacramento State sophomore Julie Shutler, NAU junior Alexa Kim (no relation to Stephanie), Portland State freshman Britney Yada and Montana sophomore Lauren Howell also earned All-Big Sky first-team honors.
Alexa Kim, from Chandler, averaged 76.54 strokes per round. She recorded five top-10 finishes. She was an All-Big Sky second team selection in 2009.
Four NAU players earned second-team honors: seniors Megan Buck and Meghan Bremer and juniors Dakin Banta and Bethany Leclair.
The six players on the all-conference team is a Big Sky record, with no previous school posting more than four golfers in a single season on the all-league team.
PREP SOFTBALL
Peoria Liberty 11, Coconino 10
Liberty scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to top the Panthers in a non-region matchup for both teams.
The Panthers trailed 9-5 after three innings, but scored one in the fourth, two in the fifth and two more in the sixth to take a 10-9 lead. After not scoring in the top of the seventh, Liberty came through with the walk-off win.
"Liberty is a very good team and it was good to see the girls compete for a whole seven innings," CHS coach Jim NcNeese said.
Eli Gallegos was 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the loss. Paige Overfield was 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI.
Coconino will return to GCR play when it hosts Page today at 3:45 p.m.
PREP BASEBALL
Liberty 12, Coconino 2 (5)
After scoring two runs in the top of the first inning, the Panthers couldn't manage any more offense and was run-ruled against Liberty.
Coconino's 2-0 lead was short-lived when Liberty scored three runs in the bottom of the first and then piled on eight more runs over the next two innings.
"The wind was blowing like crazy down here," CHS coach Ed Vesely said. "Fly balls that should have been caught weren't and that hurt us. Six errors is tough to overcome."
Senior catcher Amos Combrink was 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI in the loss. Junior Carter Vickers was 1-for-2 with an RBI. Junior Brent James took the loss on the mound, even though Vesely said he threw pretty well.
The Panthers return to action today at 3:30 p.m. at home against Page.
