Somerset, NJ – Fairleigh Dickinson junior Annika Karrlson (Ekero, Poland) was tabbed 2012 Women’s Golfer of the Year for the first time in her career following a fantastic year in Teaneck. Karrlson placed second overall at the NEC Championship where she shot 77-72-77=226 to help the Knights to a second place team finish at the conference championship in Daytona Beach, FL. Her score of 72 on day two of the conference tournament proved to be her low score of the season. The junior boasted several strong finishes throughout the 2011-12 season including top honors at the Monmouth Invitational after shooting 74-75 for a total of 149.. The native of Poland also picked up an 11th place finish (84-77=161) at the Butler Invitational at the start of the spring, as well as a ninth place finish at the Brown Bear Invitational where booked a two day total of 158. She averaged 78.05 per round on the season, picked up NEC Player of the Week honors following her performance at Monmouth and also garnered a spot on the All-NEC First Team for the first time in her career.
NEC Women’s Golf Individual Champion Christina Felip (Barcelona, Spain/IES Joaquim Blume) of LIU Brooklyn captured 2012 NEC Rookie of the Year honors after making a statement in just a semester in Brooklyn. The native of Spain led the Blackbirds as they staged a dramatic comeback in Daytona Beach at the NEC Championship, rising from nine strokes back on day three to take home the team title, while the individually Felip shattered the 54-hole conference scoring record by eleven strokes. After sitting tied for first after day one (73), Felip went on to card scores of 70-72, her lowest scores of the season, on the final two days for a three-day, record breaking total of 215. Felip also inked top honors at the Lonnie Barton Invitational after shooting 78-77=155, while her 11th place showing at the MU Hawk Invitational (84-75=159) also prepared her for her performance at the NEC Championship. In addition to her
Joining Karrlson on the first team wasteammate Mariana Juaristi (Irapuato, Guanajuato/Prepa Tec), who finished in the top-15 finishes in all but one event this season. Consistent throughout 2011-12, the sophomore posted her best performances at the end of the season to help the Knights to a second place finish at the NEC Tournament, where she finished tied for sixth (76-76-78=230). Leading up to the the championship, Juaristi posted her season low round of 73 on day one of the Columbia Roar-EE tournament where she finished in fourth after scoring a 76 on day two for two-day total of 149. This is the second time in her career Juaristi has earned All-Conference honors, after she collected second team honors in 2011.
Carly Bergin (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) posted several strong finishes in the back nine of her college career as she tallied two top-five and five top-15 finishes in her senior season. She began the year by taking the individual title at the ECAC Championship where she posted a two day total of 148 (76-72), which earned her NEC Golfer of the Month honors in October. She went on to earn a share of ninth at the Sacred Heart Invite (82-85=167), a third place finish at the Lonnie Barton Invite (82-85=167) and eighth at the Hartford Invite (80-80=160).The New York product capped off her career by inking scores of 75-79-81-235 at the NEC Championship to earn All-Tournament honors.
Wagner’s Ellen Huffman (Lima, OH/Lima Catholic Central) rounds out the All Conference first team after posting a solid second season for the Seahawks, highlighted by four top-three finishes and a ninth place effort at the Conference Tournament. The sophomore started the year by collecting a pair of third places finishes at Mount Holyoke (79-73=152) and at the Robert Morris Invitational (83-83=166). During the spring she collected another third place finish at the Monmouth Invite (78-77=155). Huffman then earned top honors at the Mount St. Mary’s Invite (74-79-82=235), which led her to NEC Golfer of the Week honors.
LIU Brooklyn’s Anna Palsson (Stockholm, Sweden/Ostra Real), the 2011 Northeast Conference individual champion, repeats as a second team honoree after a another great season in Brooklyn. The native of Sweden collected a second place finish at the Sacred Heart Fall Classic after booking scores of 74-82-156 and didn’t miss a beat when she returned in the spring, placing fifth at the Lonnie Barton Invitational (82-79=161) She went on to record two more top-10 finishes completed the season by capturing a share of 11th at the NEC tournament (82-80-72-234), where she played a major role in helping the Blackbirds fly to the top of the leader board on day three.
Gabrielle Riber (Stockholm, Sweden/Danderyds Gymnasium), of Sacred Heart joins Bergen on the All-Conference team as she collects second team status. The junior placed a season-high fourth at the Pioneer hosted Sacred Heart Invitational where she tallied scores of 79-82=166. The senior averaged 81.7 per round and finished 23 at the NEC Championship. This is the second time she has earned All-Conference honors.
Fairleigh earned a third delegate on the All-Conference squad as Ester Park (Demarset, NJ/Demarset). The New Jersey native picked up the second All-Conference nod of her career following a strong second half push which featured four top-10 finishes, with the best coming last. The sophomore was part of a second place tie at the NEC tournament after she carded scores of 73-74-79. Leading up to the tournament she posted third, seventh and 10th place finishes at Monmouth, Brown and Butler respectively.
2011 NEC Rookie of the Year Anna Colligan (Kittanning, PA/Kittanning) of Saint Francis (PA) and Anna Ausanio (Hopewell Junction, NY/John Jay) of Central Connecticut round out the second team honorees after both golfers collected top-10 finishes at the Conference tournament. Colligan adds a second All-Conference honor to her resume after being named to the second team as a freshman, as well as two top-10 finishes, including a first place finish at the Cleveland State Invitational (73-73=146) and third place honors at Bucknell (70-79-71=220). Ausanio junior boasted top-five finishes at both the Conference Championship (78-76-75=229) and the Sacred Heart Fall Classic (82-80-162) as well as a seventh place finish at the Bethune Cookman Gary Freeman Invite (76-83=159).
As announced at the conclusion of the 2012 Northeast Conference Women's Golf Championship, LIU Brooklyn’s Natalie Desjardins and Quinnipiac’s John O’Connor were tabbed NEC Women's Golf Co-Coaches of the Year in a vote by their peers. In her first year at the helm Desjardins led the Blackbirds to the team title, while O’Connor’s Bobcats collected a ninth place finish, their best finish in program history.
NEC Women’s Golfer of the Year
Annika Karrlson, Fairleigh Dickinson
NEC Women’s Golf Rookie of the Year
Christina Felip, LIU Brooklyn
NEC Women’s Golf First Team All-Conference
Annika Karrlson, Fairleigh Dickinson
Christina Felip, LIU Brooklyn
Mariana Juaristi, Fairleigh Dickinson
Carly Bergin, Sacred Heart
Ellen Huffman, Wagner
NEC Women’s Golf Second Team All-Conference
Anna Palsson, LIU Brooklyn
Gabrielle RIber, Sacred Heart
Ester Park, Fairleigh Dickinson
Anna Colligan, Saint Francis (PA))
Anna Ausanio, Central Connecticut
NEC Women’s s Golf Coach of the Year
Natalie Desjardins- LIU Brooklyn
John O’Connor-Quinnipiac