GEMMA DRYBURGH NAMED TO CONFERENCE USA SECOND TEAM

NEWS RELEASE FROM TULANE UNIVERSITY,  NEW ORLEANS

New Orleans – On the same day he and his wife welcomed their second son into the world early this morning, Tulane head coach Andrew Pratt has been named the 2013 Conference USA Women’s Golf Coach of the Year and four Green Wave golfers have been named to the All C-USA first and second teams, as it was announced today by the conference following a vote by the league’s head coaches.

Tulane University placed two golfers each on the All C-USA first and second teams.  Senior Maribel Lopez Porras and freshman Emily Penttila were each tabbed to the first team, while sophomore Gemma Dryburgh (pictured right) and freshman Madison Opfer were both named to the second team.   

The Green Wave has now placed at least four golfers on the all-conference teams the last seven seasons of competition (The program was suspended in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina from 2006-08).

“This is a great reward for our golfers and I am very proud of each of them for all the hard work they have put into this season,” Tulane head coach Andrew Pratt said. 

“They are a tremendous and talented group that has improved with each week of the season and I believe having four players receive all-conference honors speaks volumes for our program.  I am very happy for each of them and it is an honor to be selected as the Conference USA Coach of the Year.”

In his second season, Pratt has led the Green Wave to a Top-20 national ranking, a Conference USA Championship, the NCAA East Regional, seven Top-5 finishes in nine tournaments and the squad is currently on pace to break the school's single season stroke average for both the team.  In addition, three Green Wave golfers have been named the C-USA Golfer of the Week and two golfers have combined for three individual titles. 

In the classroom, five Tulane golfers were named to both the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and to Tulane's 3.0 Club.  His recruiting efforts were also recognized in December as Tulane was tabbed with the Top Freshman Class Making an Impact by Golfstat.com.

A native of Bogota, Colombia, Porras is a four-time All C-USA selection and has now earned first team honors the last three years after picking up third team honors as a freshman in 2010.  She is Tulane’s top golfer, who enters NCAA East Regional play ranked No. 56 nationally by Golfweek.com. Porras sports a 73.52 scoring average and claimed the second individual title of her career last fall at the Alamo Invitational.   

A native of Aberdeen, Scotland, Gemma Dryburgh is a two-time member of the All C-USA teams, but a first time selection to the second team.  She was an all-conference third team performer as a freshman a year ago.  This season, Dryburgh ranks tied for third on the team with a 74.65 scoring average and is currently ranked No. 104 nationally by Golfweek.com. 

Dryburgh has two victories this season, including the Old Waverly Bulldog Invitational and at the Conference USA Championships, although she lost in a three-way play-off for individual medalist honors.  She has seven rounds of par or better, including a career-low 4-under 68 during the first round of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Golf Classic.

Opfer, who hails from Plant City, Florida., is TU’s second rookie to collect all-league honors.   She is tied with Dryburgh for third on the team in scoring with a 74.65 average and enters the NCAA East Regional ranked No. 108 nationally by Golfweek.com.

She has four rounds of par or better, including a 5-under 67 during the opening round of the Ole Miss Rebel Intercollegiate, which tied the school record for the lowest round, and posted a career-best eighth-place finish at the C-USA Championships.

2013 C-USA Women’s Golf All-Conference Teams

First Team All-C-USA

Frida Gustafsson Spang, East Carolina

Felicia Espericueta, SMU

Jenny Haglund, SMU

Maribel Lopez Porras, Tulane

Emily Penttila, Tulane

Second Team All-C-USA

Nico Engstroem Skaug, East Carolina

Madison Opfer, Tulane

Gemma Dryburgh, Tulane

Shu-Yin Liu, Tulsa

Monifa Sealy, UCF

Third Team All-C-USA

Fanny Wolte, East Carolina

Elizabeth Haycock, Old Dominion (Elizabeth comes from Birmingham).

Kristina Merkle, Tulsa

Antonia Von Wnuck, Tulsa

Carolin Pinegger, UCF

Specialty Awards

Player of the Year: Frida Gustafsson Spang, East Carolina

Freshman of the Year: Frida Gustafsson Spang, East Carolina

Co-Most Improved Players of the Year: Melanie White, SMU/Shu-Yin Liu, Tulsa

Coach of the Year: Andrew Pratt, Tulane

-TulaneGreenWave.com-