MALIBU, Calif. " Alessandra Arza and Katherine Zhu of the Pepperdine women's golf team were recently named All-American Scholars by the Women's Golf Coaches Association for their excellent work in the classroom and on the golf course.

"I am very proud of both Alessandra and Katherine for earning All-American Scholar honors," Pepperdine Coach Laurie Gibbs said. "The criteria for being selected to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics with a minimum GPA of 3.5. Both Ale and Katherine have worked very hard in the classroom and on the golf course to earn this prestigious honor."

It's the second straight year that Arza (Asuncion, Paraguay), a sophomore this past season, has earned the award. It's the first for Zhu (Vancouver, B.C.), who was a freshman. Arza is a liberal arts major while Zhu is majoring in international studies.

Arza averaged 78.42 strokes in four tournaments in 2014-15. She also made the West Coast Conference All-Academic first team. Zhu averaged 76.75 strokes this past season and was in the lineup for the Waves' victory at the WCC Championships, as well as their appearance at the NCAA South Bend Regional.

These are the 19th and 20th times that a Wave has made the WGCA All-American Scholar list.