Alabama junior Emma Talley was named the Honda Sports Award winner for golf as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today.
The Honda Sports Award is presented annually by the CWSA to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. With this honor, Talley becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2015 Honda Cup, which will be presented on June 29th in a live nationally televised broadcast on CBS Sports Network at 6 pm PT/9 pm ET from Los Angeles, Calif.
Talley was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Leona Maguire (Duke), Gabriela Lopez (Arkansas) and Bronte Law (UCLA).
“I am truly honored to win the Honda Award for Golf,” Emma Talley said. “Just being a finalist was special for me, so to win the award over such a talented group of finalists is amazing. My win a the NCAA Championships was a dream come true, and I want to thank Coach Mic Potter, Coach Susan Rosenstiel and all of my current and former teammates. I would not have this opportunity without all of the guidance and inspiration they have provided throughout my time at Alabama.”
Talley was the 2015 NCAA Individual Champion and the first-ever in school history. She posted a bogey-free final round of 69 to hold the one-shot lead. She earned first-team Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-America honors this season making her a three time All-American after garnering second-team honors as a freshman and honorable mention accolades as a sophomore. She is just the fifth player in history to win both an NCAA Championship and the U.S. Amateur (2013).
A native of Princeton, Ky., she finished her junior season with a 72.50 stroke average with seven top-10 finishes and three top-five showings. She averaged just .69 strokes per round over par and counted towards the team score in 31 of 32 rounds.
"I could not be more excited for Emma,” UA head coach Mic Potter said. “The Honda Award for Golf is one of the most prestigious honors in our sport and Emma is very deserving. I can’t say enough about her performance at the NCAA Championships. Her consistent excellence over four rounds, and her dedication to playing one shot at a time is why she is one of the best amateur players in the world. Emma has become such a complete player, a great competitor and a tremendous ambassador for our program. She is a truly special student-athlete and the epitome of the complete student-athlete.”
THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 39 years, recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.0 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.