Three Vols Earn WGCA All-American Scholar Accolades

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Women's Golf had three players, Anna Newell, Lucia Polo and Micheala Williams, named to the 2016-17 Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholar Team, as released by the organization on Wednesday.

To be selected as an All-American Scholar, the players had to maintain an overall grade point average of 3.50 or higher (on a 4.00 scale) for the entirety of their collegiate career, be of high moral character and in good standing at the college making the nomination and the student-athlete must have played in at least half of the college's regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year nominated.

Newell, Polo and Williams were announced as three of the 952 women collegiate golfers recognized with the prestigious honor.

"I'm so proud of these three ladies for their commitment to be excellent students," said head coach Judi Pavon. "One of the standards is playing in half of our tournaments, which means a lot of missed class time and work to make up. Lucia has been one of our most outstanding students ever and earning this honor each of her four years is a wonderful accomplishment."

Newell, a rising senior and three-time Academic All-American, led the Big Orange with eight top-25 finishes in 2016-17. She shot 10 rounds of par or better en route to recording three top-10 and two top-five placements. In 2016, she became one of four Volunteers to receive both First Team All-America honors and be named an All-American Scholar. The Tampa, Fla., native was the first Vol to receive the accolades in the same year.

With the announcement, Polo became the third Vol to be named a four-time WGCA Academic All-American, joining former Vols Marci Turner (2005-08) and Sara Monberg (2010-13). The Guatemala native capped off her collegiate career with her lowest round of the season, a three-under 69, that also tied her career-low 18-hole score at the NCAA Athens Regional in Athens, Ga. During her time at Tennessee, Polo was also named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in back-to-back seasons (2014-2015 and 2015-2016) and earned a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll four years in a row.

Williams finished her freshman season on Rocky Top with a 74.03 stroke average, second behind Blakesly Warren. She recorded four top-25 finishes and three top-10 finishes, including a fourth place finish at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational in October. Following the season, Williams was also named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.