Leona and Bronte on short leet for Honda Sports Award

DUKE UNIVERSITY NEWS RELEASE

DURHAM, North Carolina – Duke University freshman Leona Maguire has been selected as one of four nominees for the Honda Sports Award for women’s golf,.

The others are Bronte Law of UCLA, Gabriela Lopez from Arkansas and Emma Talley from Alabama.

The Honda Sports Award is presented annually by the CWSA to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics.” 

 The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2015 Honda Cup. The nominees were chosen by a combination of NCAA Championship finish and national golf rankings.

Maguire, who hails from Cavan, Ireland, collected a school-record 70.78 stroke average, while notching eight top five and 10 top 10 placements out of 11 tournaments during her rookie campaign.  The ACC Player and Rookie of the Year totaled three victories on the season at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, ACC Championship and the South Bend Regional. 

The Honda Sports award winner for golf will be announced next week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.

Maguire’s stroke average of 70.78 bested Duke alumna Amanda Blumenherst’s mark of 71.00 from the 2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns.  Maguire equaled Blumenherst’s Blue Devil record of 24 rounds of even or under par as well from the 2005-06 season, while her nine top five finishes this season ranked tied third.

Honda Sports award winners will be presented with the honour during on-campus presentations throughout the year and all Honda Sports award winners become a finalist for the prestigious 2015 Honda Cup award which will be presented on June 29, in a live televised broadcast on CBS Sports Network from Los Angeles.