The University of Akron Athletics
Velasco-Villanueva, Etcheberry Earn WGCA All-American Scholar Honors
July 06 | Women's Golf
The two honorees marked the seventh time in eight years that at least two Akron golfers earned All-American Scholars status.
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CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – For the third time in their collegiate careers, Zips' Alejandra Velasco-Villanueva and Mallory Etcheberry have been named Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholars, the organization announced on Wednesday.
"I'm very proud of both of these young ladies for the effort they consistently give to our program, on and off the course," Zips' head coach Jenny King said.
The two honorees marked the seventh time in eight years that at least two Akron golfers earned All-American Scholars status.
Velasco-Villanueva, a corporate finance major, earned the award three times in her career, once at NOVA Southeastern and twice at Akron, along with a pair of Academic All-MAC awards.
The senior from Guadalajara, Mexico, posted a 79.79 stroke average with a 75 (+3) best 18-hole round and 233 (+17) 54-hole score this season. In addition, Velasco-Villanueva finished 36th overall in her final Mid-American Conference Championship with a 242 (+26) ledger. Velasco-Villanueva expects to graduate in December 2017 and currently owns a 3.562 overall GPA while landing on the Dean's List every semester at Akron (six semesters).
"Ale always found the right balance between academics and golf," said King. "No matter how busy our practice and travel schedules became, she made the time to get her work done and did it at a high level."
Meanwhile, Etcheberry , who was not eligible for the award in 2016 due to an injury, earned her third consecutive All-American Scholars honor as a student-athlete and second Academic All-MAC award in 2017. The junior from Wesley Chapel, Fla., returned to competition during the Fall semester and achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA, landing on the President's List while making her sixth-career appearance on the Dean's List. She boasts a team-high 3.8 overall GPA and completed her undergraduate degree in accounting this spring. Etcheberry will return to the women's golf team while pursuing a master's in accounting in the Fall of 2017.
On the course, Ethceberry played in 7-of-12 events this season. She posted an 82.68 stroke average with two Top 25 finishes with personal season-low 76 (+4) 18-hole.
"Mallory is very diligent in the classroom," King said. "Any extra time she had was spent on her studies, and you can see it has paid off every year with her academic achievements."
A total of 952 women's collegiate golfers across all three divisions of women's collegiate golf were recognized with this prestigious honor. The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.50.
The WGCA, founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing women's collegiate golf coaches. Today, the NGCA represents nearly 500 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.
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– AKRON ZIPS –
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