ST. PAUL, Minn.- The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference announced their 2023 Women's Golf All-Conference Awards on Tuesday and to say the University of Northwestern Women's Golf team was well represented would be the understatement of the year. The Eagles swept all of the major conference awards and had five golfers named All-Conference.
Morgan Eckman (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) was named the UMAC Rookie of the Year and the UMAC Player of the Year. The freshman burst onto the scene and was named the top player in the conference in her first collegiate season. Eckman set the school record for lowest individual round by shooting a 75 (+3) back on September 16
th. She was also named the individual Medalist at the UMAC Championships by finishing atop the leaderboard. Eckman trailed entering her final nine holes of the event, but made a huge push late to win the event. She shot a 76 (+4) on day three of the UMAC Championships.
Head Coach
Billy Aune was named the UMAC Women's Golf Coach of the Year. Coach Aune led the Eagles to six event wins this season including the team's second UMAC Championship in the last three years. This is Coach Aune's second consecutive Women's Golf Coach of the Year award and his fourth total.
It is an incredible feat that the Eagles had all five of their competing players at the UMAC Championships named First Team All-Conference. Freshman
Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) was named First Team All-Conference in her first year as a collegiate player. Meanwhile, seniors
Mattie Krause (Clear Lake, Iowa/Clear Lake),
Kirsten Darling (Coon Rapids, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy), and
Kelly Van Den Bussche (Princeton, Ill./Princeton) all closed out their careers by being named UMAC First Team All-Conference. Van Den Bussche was also a recipient of a UMAC Sportsmanship Award.
There is still more golf for the Eagles to play this season. In late October,
Morgan Eckman (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) will be competing as an individual in the NCCAA National Championships. In late May, the Eagles as a team will compete in the NCAA Division III National Championships which they qualified for by winning the UMAC Championship last week.
