MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. (4/18/12) - Arkansas State senior Jennifer Welch earned all-conference recognition Wednesday following the completion of the Sun Belt Conference Women's Golf Championships, where the Red Wolves finished seventh among the 11 competing teams with a combined 924.
Welch led the Red Wolves at the three-day tournament, finishing tied for 10th with a 222 to pick up her sixth top-25 finish of the season. She ended the first round tied for 38th place with a 79, but jumped 28 spots in the standings with a season-best 70 for the second 18 holes and remained tied for 10th after carding a final-round 73.
"I think obviously for Jenny, making all-conference was a great end to an outstanding college career," said ASU head coach M.J. Desbiens. "That was her goal all year and she worked really hard to obtain that, so I'm really excited for her."
While Welch was named All-Sun Belt Conference for the first time of her career, the Red Wolves have now had a player earn all-conference honors each of the last four seasons.
Despite cutting seven strokes off its second-round score, A-State dropped from sixth to seventh place in the final standings after recording a 306 for the final 18 holes. A-State opened the tournament Monday with a 305 and came back to post a second-round 313 on Tuesday.
ASU's 924 total marked its fourth lowest three-round score this season, which included appearances in 10 tournaments. The Red Wolves finished seven strokes behind sixth-place South Alabama, while Denver claimed the tournament title with an 872.
"We were hoping to move up the scoreboard today and improve our standing, so obviously our finish was disappointing," said Desbiens. "Our scores weren't where we wanted them to be today, but I also saw some good things over the course of the tournament and some things we can build on for next year."
Joining Carling among the top 25 finishers was Anna Carling, who ended the league championships tied for 17th place with a 229. Carling, who was the Sun Belt Conference Championships medalist last season as a sophomore, shot a final-round 74 that was her best score of the tournament. Like Welch, Carling now has six top-25 finishes this season.
Also competing for the Red Wolves, Sarah Landry finished 37th with a 239, Courtney Manning tied for 38th with a 240 and Jennifer Loiacano tied for 41st with a 241.
ARKANSAS STATE RESULTS
Place, Name (RD 1-RD 2-RD 3-TOTAL)
7, Arkansas State (305-313-306--924)
T10, Jennifer Welch (79-70-73--222)
T17, Anna Carling (75-80-74--229)
37, Sarah Landry (72-86-81--239)
T38 Courtney Manning (79-83-78--240)
T41, Jennifer Loiacano (80-80-81--241)
