Northwestern University Athletics
Lau Named Player of the Year to Lead Four All-Big Ten Selections
4/23/2019 3:01:00 PM | Women's Golf
EVANSTON, Ill. — Senior Stephanie Lau has been voted the Big Ten Women's Golf Player of the Year, the league office announced Tuesday.
Lau was joined on the All-Big Ten First Team by junior Brooke Riley and first year Kelly Sim, while senior Janet Mao was named a Second-Team selection. Lau and Mao joined Hannah Kim as the only players in program history to earn All-Big Ten honors each of their four years.
The Wildcats have had three of the last five Big Ten Players of the Year.
The highest-ranked individual in the Big Ten according to GolfStat, Lau led the Wildcats with a 72.23 scoring average, 14 rounds of par or better, four rounds in the 60s and two top-five finishes. She claimed her first-ever title with a 7-under at the PING/ASU Invitational to earn Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors.
In addition to her stellar senior campaign for the Wildcats, Lau was one of 72 players to play in the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur earlier this spring and will be the first Wildcat to compete on the international team stage when she represents the United States at the Arnold Palmer Cup in June.
Lau also was named the Wildcats' Sportsmanship Award honoree.
Riley earned All-Big Ten honors for the first time in her career after posting a career-best 72.93 scoring average through 10 events in her junior campaign. The California native matched her season-best with a 68 — her fourth round in the 60s this season — in the final round of the Big Ten Championships to finish tied for eighth at even par. She has carded 11 rounds of par or better this season and leads the 'Cats with three top-10 finishes, including her first collegiate victory at the Silverado Showdown en route to being named the Big Ten Golfer of the Week.
Sim was one of three first year players to see significant time in the Wildcats' lineup this season and ranks third on the team with a 73.52 scoring average. She was one of just three players on the team to post 10-plus rounds of par or better and carded a season-low 68 in the second round of the Silverado Showdown en route to a fourth-place finish. Sim shot an 2-under par, 70, in the final round of the Big Ten Championships to finished tied for 18th.
Mao earned her fourth-career All-Big Ten honor with a 74.24 scoring average, eight rounds of par or better and a pair of top-25 finishes. She posted a season-best 3-under, 69, in the second round of the PING/ASU Invitational and had a pair of top-15 finishes. The Georgia native shot a season-best 214 at the Stanford Intercollegiate to finish tied for 13th.
Lau was joined on the All-Big Ten First Team by junior Brooke Riley and first year Kelly Sim, while senior Janet Mao was named a Second-Team selection. Lau and Mao joined Hannah Kim as the only players in program history to earn All-Big Ten honors each of their four years.
The Wildcats have had three of the last five Big Ten Players of the Year.
The highest-ranked individual in the Big Ten according to GolfStat, Lau led the Wildcats with a 72.23 scoring average, 14 rounds of par or better, four rounds in the 60s and two top-five finishes. She claimed her first-ever title with a 7-under at the PING/ASU Invitational to earn Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors.
In addition to her stellar senior campaign for the Wildcats, Lau was one of 72 players to play in the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur earlier this spring and will be the first Wildcat to compete on the international team stage when she represents the United States at the Arnold Palmer Cup in June.
Lau also was named the Wildcats' Sportsmanship Award honoree.
Riley earned All-Big Ten honors for the first time in her career after posting a career-best 72.93 scoring average through 10 events in her junior campaign. The California native matched her season-best with a 68 — her fourth round in the 60s this season — in the final round of the Big Ten Championships to finish tied for eighth at even par. She has carded 11 rounds of par or better this season and leads the 'Cats with three top-10 finishes, including her first collegiate victory at the Silverado Showdown en route to being named the Big Ten Golfer of the Week.
Sim was one of three first year players to see significant time in the Wildcats' lineup this season and ranks third on the team with a 73.52 scoring average. She was one of just three players on the team to post 10-plus rounds of par or better and carded a season-low 68 in the second round of the Silverado Showdown en route to a fourth-place finish. Sim shot an 2-under par, 70, in the final round of the Big Ten Championships to finished tied for 18th.
Mao earned her fourth-career All-Big Ten honor with a 74.24 scoring average, eight rounds of par or better and a pair of top-25 finishes. She posted a season-best 3-under, 69, in the second round of the PING/ASU Invitational and had a pair of top-15 finishes. The Georgia native shot a season-best 214 at the Stanford Intercollegiate to finish tied for 13th.
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