<esh off a record-setting first season for the Carleton College women’s golf team, Gina Kabasakalis ‘15 has been named the MIAC’s co-freshman of the year, as voted by the conference’s coaches.
Kabasakalis shares the award with Gustavus Adolphus College’s Sam Falk. This marks the second time a Knight has won the award in three seasons, as Hope Keaney ’13 captured the honor in 2009-10.
The Californian finished her inaugural season in the maize and blue with the third-lowest stroke average among all players (80.31) in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), which also marked a new Carleton record. Only NCAA runner-up and MIAC Player of the Year Molly Erickson of St. Olaf (78.59) and MIAC Senior of the Year Kathryn Hauff of St. Benedict (80.13) posted better raw averages this season.
Kabasakalis, an All-MIAC selection by virtue of her T4th finish at this fall’s conference tournament, also earned NGCA All-Midwest Region honors this spring, voted one of the 10 best players in the region. She tallied four of the lowest nine rounds in school history this season alone and holds three of the top four 36-hole totals in the Carleton record book. She also set the 54-hole school record, won the UST Spring Invitational, and finished second at both the Wartburg Fall Invitational and the ACM Invitational.
St. Olaf’s Luke Benoit was named the MIAC coach of the year after leading the Oles to their first conference title and a T9th finish at the 2012 NCAA Championships this past week in Indiana.
As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC announced the sixth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for women’s golf, which included Traci Johnson (Sr./Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North). Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.
–Courtesy of Sports Information