Contact: Stan Cole

Shaw and Crooks Gain Atlantic Sun Top Women's Golf Honors

Three Camels Named to All-Conference Teams

MACON, GA. - Alejandra Shaw and John Crooks of league champion Campbell University claimed top honors Thursday when the Atlantic Sun Conference distributed its annual postseason women's golf awards. Shaw, who won last month's A-Sun Championship individual title, was named Player of the Year.

Campbell's John Crooks received the Coach of the Year nod from his peers after leading the Camels to their record seventh conference title in the last 11 years. Florida Atlantic's Praewnapa Phol-Uayporn rode a strong finish at the conference championship at DeBary Golf & Country Club to Freshman of the Year accolades.

Senior Sofia Gorelik joined her teammate Shaw on the A-Sun All-Conference first team, while junior Maite Ortiz de Pinedo was named to the all-league second team. Gorelik is just the second player in A-Sun history to earn first-team all-league honors four times, joining Campbell alum Sharon O'Neill, who was a first-team pick each season from 2000-03.

Shaw led the A-Sun Championship wire-to-wire after posting the lowest first round score in the 17-year history of the conference championship with a three-under par 69. She went on to win the event by four strokes, posting her third top-10 finish in as many appearances at the league tournament. The Vina del Mar, Chile native also received her second-straight A-Sun Golfer of the Month honor after capturing medalist honors at the A-Sun Championship. The junior will have an opportunity to join an elite group of players that have posted four top-10 finishes at the championship. Only eight other student-athletes have accomplished that feat, including Campbell's Laura Torrisi, who registered top-10 A-Sun finishes each year from 1998-2001.

On the year, Shaw ranks second in the A-Sun in average score (75.97), according to the latest Golfstat ratings. In addition to rating 108th nationally in adjusted score vs. par, she has produced six, top-10 finishes this year. The former top-ranked Chilean junior was runner-up at the Pelican Preserve Invitational and the UNLV Invitational, while also claiming top-five results at the Stetson Invitational and Fighting Camel Spring Classic. Last week, Shaw was selected by Campbell's athletics staff as the University's Outstanding Female Athlete for the 2005-06 academic year.

"I told Alejandra that once she's the conference champion, the conference player of the year and the university's player of the year, that's about all there is to accomplish," said Crooks with a laugh. "We are finishing final exams right now, and despite all of the accolades that have come her way over the last three years, what Alejandra's most interested in right now is that she's got a real shot at a 4.0 GPA this semester. Furthermore, all this came after she had major elbow surgery at the end of last year. There were questions about whether she'd be able to play and, if so, would it be at a high level? She's certainly answered all of those questions."

For Crooks, the individual honor marks the 13th time in 16 years of working at the collegiate level that he's been named either men's or women's conference coach of the year. His selection marks the seventh time in 11 years that he has been selected as the A-Sun's top women's coach. In addition, Crooks was inducted into the National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January after he became just the seventh person in NCAA Division I women's golf history to record 50 tournament coaching wins. The A-Sun title marked Crooks' 51st coaching triumph on the women's side.

"To be coach of the year, that means compliance has helped, academic services and transportation have helped. Everybody in the athletics department and throughout the campus plays a role in order for us to be able to do things. My assistant, Tim Crooks, plays a large role and carries a big part of the weight. I'm just the one on the end that's fortunate enough to coach the team," said Coach Crooks. "I thank the other coaches for the vote of confidence. It's very humbling that they think I do what I do any better than what they do."

Gorelik, whose 76.4 stroke average ranked fourth in the league and 153rd nationally, notched six top-10 finishes this year, including a fourth-place showing at the Atlantic Sun Championship. The product of Tandil, Argentina and former number-one ranked junior in her country was runner-up at the Stetson Invitational, where Campbell provided Crooks with his 50th career tournament coaching win. She also produced a fourth-place effort at the South Florida/Waterlefe Invitational. Gorelik was tabbed A-Sun Golfer of the Month last September.

"Ever since she's stepped on this campus, Sofi's been a great player for us," said Coach Crooks. "Finishing among the league's top five in stroke average each year is a tremendous achievement. She's just been a fantastic representative of Campbell University and our women's golf program."

Ortiz de Pinedo gained second-team all-conference honors for the second-straight year. Her 77.7 stroke average ranked sixth among Atlantic Sun golfers and she produced three top-10 showings during the 2005-06 year. The junior from San Sebastian, Spain recorded her first collegiate tournament win at the Stetson Invitational. She finished sixth at the A-Sun Championship and tied for sixth at the College of Charleston Palmetto Intercollegiate. She earned A-Sun Golfer of the Month honors following her win at Stetson.

"The fact that Maite was named second-team all-conference this year is a credit to her ability to compete," said Crooks. "Last year she was a little better tee-to-green, but this year, she had to grind more and work it out. To still be one of the top players in the conference, is a credit to her being a real competitor."

Conference tournament runner-up Ashley Barton of East Tennessee State plus Florida Atlantic teammates Phol-Uayporn and June Bolme joined Shaw and Gorelik on the all-league first team.

Joining Ortiz de Pinedo on the second team are Natalia Giraldo of ETSU, Claudine Foong of Gardner-Webb and Lorie Warren of Belmont. Foong and Warren were the first-ever representatives of their schools on the A-Sun women's golf all-conference teams.

Campbell continues its 2005-06 campaign next week (May 11-13) in the NCAA East Regional Championship at Bryan National in Browns Summit, N.C.

2006 A-Sun Player of the Year

Alejandra Shaw (Campbell)

2006 A-Sun Coach of the Year

John Crooks (Campbell)

2006 A-Sun Freshman of the Year

Praewnapa Phol-Uayporn (Florida Atlantic)

2006 First-Team All-Atlantic Sun

2006 Second-Team All-Atlantic Sun

2006 Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team

2005-06 Atlantic Sun Conference Women's Golfer of the Month