Trio Of Tigers Collect All-Region, All-America Awards

Springfield, Ohio – A trio of Wittenberg University women’s golf standouts have earned first-team All-Great Lakes Region honors from the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA), in addition to All-America awards given to sophomore Jane Hopkinson-Wood (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) and junior Macy Hubbard (Mason, Ohio/Mason). 

Hopkinson-Wood, who became the first All-American in the history of Wittenberg women’s golf a year ago, was a repeat selection on the first team in 2016. Hubbard, last year’s NCAA Division III Tournament runner-up, was named honorable mention for her first career All-America recognition. Hopkinson-Wood and Hubbard were joined on the all-region honor roll by senior Maggie Smith (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore). 

The three Tiger student-athletes received their All-Great Lakes Region and All-America certificates at a banquet hosted by the WGCA on Wednesday, May 11, at Bay Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas, the site of the 2016 NCAA Division III Tournament. 

“Jane, Macy and Maggie have been so good for us all year, and they have really powered the program to new heights,” said Head Coach Jeff Roope. “At any given moment, any of those three can step up and be the best player in a tournament. They have consistently competed with one another, and that has pushed each of them to get better.” 

Wittenberg advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for a second straight year after winning the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship Series by a whopping 58 strokes. Ranked sixth nationally in the GolfStat NCAA Division III statistical rankings heading into the national competition, the Tigers hit the midway point of the four-round event at Bay Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas, May 10-13, in second place, matching their overall finish in 2015. 

Wittenberg finished first in six of its 11 tournaments in the 2015-16 regular season, starting with four straight victories in the fall and culminating with a pair of wins in the NCAC Championship Series. The Tigers posted the best score in each of the four rounds of the NCAC Championship Series, which included two rounds at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Streetsboro, Ohio, and two rounds at Wooster Country Club in Wooster, Ohio. 

In 22 rounds during the 2015-16 regular season, Wittenberg ranked sixth in the nation with a stroke average of 80.08. Hopkinson-Wood led the way for a second straight season, ranking ninth nationally in scoring average at 76.27 and earning NCAC Player of the Year honors for a second straight year after winning both ends of the NCAC Championship Series. 

Hubbard won three events during the fall portion of the 2015-16 season, and she ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring average for several weeks. She entered the national tournament ranked 20th nationally with a scoring average of 77.77 before breaking records for single-round scoring and two-round scoring on the first two days of the NCAA Division III Tournament. 

Smith is playing the best golf of her collegiate career, as she ranks in the top 50 nationally and third on the team with a 78.27 stroke average. She and Hubbard each have nine top-10 finishes in the 2015-16 season. Hopkinson-Wood, Hubbard and Smith all earned first-team All-NCAC honors.