UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – Following today’s completion of the West Coast Conference Championships, which the Pepperdine women’s golf team won for the seventh straight year, the Waves swept top honors handed out by the league.
Pepperdine Coach Laurie Gibbs was named WCC Coach of the Year for the ninth time, including the fourth year in a row.
Senior Leanne Bowditch (Peregian, Australia) and freshman Taylore Karle (Scottsdale, Ariz.) tied for medalist honors and were named to the All-WCC first team. They were joined on the nine-member first team squad by senior Stephanie Gelleni (Caracas, Venezuela) and junior Jayvie Agojo (Bangkal, Philippines).
For Bowditch, it was her fourth consecutive appearance on the All-WCC first team. She became only the fourth player in Pepperdine history to post four top five finishes at the WCC Championships. Agojo was named to the first team for the third time, while Gelleni previously earned honorable mention honors in 2007.
The fifth member of Pepperdine’s squad, freshman Martine de Gannes (Diego Martin, Trinidad), earned All-WCC honorable mention honors.
Karle was named the WCC Freshman of the Year. She has either led or shared the team lead at every tournament this season. She leads the squad with a 73.04 stroke average and is ranked 11th nationally by Golfweek/Sagarin and 12th by Golfstat. A Pepperdine player has won WCC Freshman of the Year honors each of the nine times that it has been awarded.
Freshman of the Year
Taylore Karle, PEP
Coach of the Year
Laurie Gibbs, PEP
Co-Individual Medalist
Leanne Bowditch, PEP
Taylore Karle, PEP
All-WCC First Team
Jayvie Agojo, PEP
Leanne Bowditch, PEP
Danielle Cvitanov, USF
Stephanie Gelleni, PEP
Taylore Karle, PEP
Taryn Kuida, POR
Natasha Podmore, USF
Jessica Potter, USF
Corey Utsurogi, SCU
All-WCC Honorable Mention
Hilaire Fouts, SCU
Martine de Gannes, PEP
Kristin Howell, POR
Chaneng Joe, USF
Paige Rachor, POR
Rachel Sibbitt, GON
Miki Ueoka, SCU