Ball State University Athletics
Women's Golf Places Three on Academic All-MAC Team
June 02, 2010 | Women's Golf
Ball State's women's golf team placed three student-athletes -- Brittany Kelly, Kirsty O'Connor and Rachael Pruett -- on the Academic All-Mid-American Conference Women's Golf Team, which is selected by the league's faculty athletic representatives.
The MAC announced its nine person team, and Ball State's three selections were the most among the nine league schools which sponsor women's golf. Kent State had two student-athletes selected Academic All-MAC, while Akron, Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Western Michigan placed one student-athlete per school on the team.
Ball State's three selections mark the most ever in a single season by the school, and the first selections for the Cardinals since the 2007-08 season.
Kelly, a junior sports administration major with a 3.526 grade-point average on Ball State's 4.0 scale, was a 2010 All-MAC and All-MAC Tournament selection. She played in all 11 tournaments and managed a season-best second place finish at the MAC Championships. Named the league's Golfer of the Week twice, Kelly tallied eight top-10 and 10 top-20 finishes in 2009-10. She shot a season low score of 70 and a season best 54-hole score of 215 at the UNLV Invitational. Kelly was Ball State's top golfer in nine of 11 events this season.
O'Connor graduated in May with a 3.853 GPA as a German and French major. A native of Burnley, Lancashire, UK, O'Connor was named the 2010 MAC Sportsmanship Award Winner. A 2008 and 2009 National Golf Coaches Association All-America Scholar, O'Connor was named to the 2008 All-MAC Second Team. She competed in 11 events this season for the Cardinals and posted two top-20 finishes. She managed a season low score of 73 and a 54-hole personal best 225 at the UNLV Spring Rebel Invitational.
Pruett, who owns a 3.793 GPA as an exercise science major, was a 2010 All-MAC Tournament Selection. She competed in all 11 events this season and placed a season best fifth at the MAC Championships. Pruett managed five top-20 finishes, and shot a career best 71 at the Indiana Invitational. A 2008 and 2009 NGCA All-America Scholar, Pruett tallied a career best 54-hole total of 223 at the IU Invitational.
The Academic All-MAC honor is voted on by the league's faculty athletic representatives and is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To be nominated, a student-athlete must have at least a minimum 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the tournaments during the 2009-10 season. First year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.
