University of Tennessee Athletics
Newell Named WGCA First Team All-American
May 24, 2016 | Women's Golf
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Following Anna Newell's fourth place finish at the NCAA Golf Championship, the sophomore was named a Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) First Team All-American. Newell is just the fourth Vol to earn First Team honors and the first since VFL Erica Popson earned the distinction in 2011.
"I'm so honored to be named First Team All-American this year," Newell said. "It was my goal after freshman year to become an All-American again and I'm really happy that I achieved that goal."
Selection to a WGCA All-American Team is based on head-to-head competition, comparison with common opponents, scoring average, place finishes in regular season events and tournament wins and strength of schedule.
Newell's program-best national finish caps off a career year in which she set two NCAA records--54-hole record for total strokes and relation to par--with an 18-under 198 and climbed to the top of multiple Tennessee-record categories.
The Tampa, Fla. native led the Volunteers with a 72.36 average over 36 rounds. Additionally, she carded top-25 finishes in all 12 tournaments of the 2015-16 season. Six of her placements were in the top-10 including a first place finish at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown in the fall.
"It is a really nice way of finishing off the year with that honor and makes me excited for next season!" Newell added.
As a freshman, Newell earned accolades within the Southeastern Conference. She was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and also made the All-SEC Second Team roster. Moreover, Newell distinguished herself nationally with a 34th place finish at the 2015 NCAA Championship to earn a WGCA Honorable Mention All-American distinction.
"I'm thrilled to see Anna's great season rewarded with First Team All-American honors," Head Coach Judi Pavon said. "She played well this week in and out and topped it off with a fourth place finish at the NCAA Championship. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next two seasons hold for her."
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee women's golf team, visit UTSports.com/w-golf, follow @Vol_WGolf on Twitter and like the Vols at Facebook.com/UTWomensGolf.
