Alberto named Golfer of the Year
4/26/2018 5:36:00 PM | Women's Golf
Hanna Alberto capped a tremendous sophomore season with the Bearkats, earning the top honor in the Southland Conference. On Thursday, the league office announced Alberto has been named Women's Golfer of the Year.
Alberto, a two-time selection to the first team, was voted for the top player honor after a season in which she won three tournaments in her sophomore campaign. The native of Kingwood, Texas, led the conference in average score at 72.73. Her 1.21 score vs. par was the best in the league.
At the Southland Conference Women's Golf Championship, Alberto placed second and two strokes off the lead, carding a 71 in her last round. Her low round of the season was a career-best 67.
“Hanna is an amazing talent and one of the best ball-strikers to come through our program,” said head coach Brandt Kieschnick. “She was raised by outstanding parents who taught her to win, work hard, be humble and compete. She will continue to win and set records here at SHSU and Coach Chain and I are very proud of her.”
In addition to the three tournament titles for Alberto, she placed in the top 5 in six other events, including three runner up finishes.
Joining Alberto on the All-Conference team is Jenna Phillips. The junior from Austin had a 75.15 stroke average on the year, earning her a second team selection. Phillips won the Bearkats' home event in October, and 5 times this season was a top-10 finisher. Her low round of the year was a 68, which was also a career best.
2017-18 Southland Women's Golf All-Conference Teams
Player of the Year: Hanna Alberto, Sam Houston State
Freshman of the Year: Geraldine Wong, Central Arkansas
Newcomer of the Year: Eva Martinez, Lamar
Coach of the Year: David Shuster, Houston Baptist
First Team
| Name | School | Class | Hometown |
| Hannah Alberto2 | Sam Houston State | So. | Kingwood, Texas |
| Emma Svensson3 | Central Arkansas | Jr. | Halmstad, Sweden |
| Kaity Cummings3* | Houston Baptist | Jr. | Waco, Texas |
| Fernanda Lira3 | Central Arkansas | Sr. | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Elodie Chapelet2 | Lamar | So. | Souraide, France |
Second Team
| Name | School | Class | Hometown |
| Lexi Brooks*3 | Houston Baptist | Jr. | Kingwood, Texas |
| Jenna Phillips | Sam Houston State | Jr. | Austin, Texas |
| Geraldine Wong | Central Arkansas | Fr. | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Autumn Bynum | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | So. | Montgomery, Texas |
| Eva Martinez | Lamar | So. | Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain |
Honorable Mention: Sara Zrnikova, Houston Baptist; Madison Frerking, UIW.
2 Two-time All-Conference selection
3 Three-time All-Conference selection
* 2018 Southland Championship top finisher
