April 19, 2005

PLANO - Texas State University sophomore golfer Danielle Mask has been named to the All-Southland Conference Women's Golf First-Team as selected by the league's coaches and sports information directors.

McNeese State and Lamar each notched three selections on the 2005 All-Southland Conference teams to lead all schools with Cowgirl Lisa Westman returning as the lague's player of the year after sharing the top award in 2004. Lamar's Hillary Zeigler, Christa Gunn and coach Brian White were selected as the Freshman, Newcomer and Coach of the Year, respectively.

Mask received her first career all-conference honor after finishing in a tie for sixth at last week's Southland Conference Women's Golf Championship played at Whispering Pines Golf Resort in Trinity. Mask had four Top 10 finishes during the spring season and seven for the year. The Irving native led the Bobcats with a 79.64 stroke average.

Zeigler, a freshman from Livingston, made an impressive showing in her first year as she claimed her first medalist honors at the SLC Championship. In addition, Zeigler became the first from Lamar to win an individual championship. She finished in the top five three other times during the spring season and ranked fifth among league leaders with a 79.00 stroke average.

The first Lamar player to be tabbed newcomer of the year, Gunn has made an immediate impact on the Lady Cardinal squad in 2005. The junior posted six top-10 finishes in the spring, including individual medalist at the CenturyTel Bobcat Classic on April 4-5. Gunn, who heads up the all-conference second team, averaged 78.44 per round.

Clinching his first accolade as the SLC coach of the year, White guided the Lamar women's golf team to its second league championship in the past three years. White, who also works with the men's team and played golf at Lamar from 1986-89, is in his fourth season as an assistant coach.

Senior Casey Cain, a three-time first-team All-SLC pick, wrapped up a stellar spring campaign and career. The native from Lumberton, Texas, collected two individual medalists, finished runner-up twice, placed fifth at the SLC Tournament and led the Lady Cardinals with a 77.16 stroke average this year.

Swedish players Westman and Maria Engstrom return for the second straight year as first team all-leaguers with Westman as the first to earn SLC player of the year twice. Westman led all players with a 76.06 stroke average in the spring while her native counterpart Engstrom owned a 76.60 average. The Cowgirl sophomores each recorded six top 10s, including a first-place showing by Westman at the Cowgirls Tournament on Feb. 21-22. Engstrom's best showing was a second-place tie at the South Alabama Tournament on March 7-8.

Sophomore Janel Bailey picks up her first all-conference recognition as the lone Cowgirl on the second team. The Broken Arrow, Okla., native had three top 10 finishes in spring competition with her best finish coming in sixth at the Cowgirl Tournament.

Rounding out the all-conference list are second-teamers Shawna Fraser of Nicholls State University and Sam Houston State University's Raman Saran and Ashley Brown. Fraser and Saran have been tabbed All-SLC three and four times, respectively, as the seniors close out their careers. Brown notches her first all-conference honor.