Two Huskers Earn NGCA Academic Honors

Lincoln - Nebraska's Jackie Beste and Allison Stewart claimed spots on the 2005-06 National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team announced Monday by the NGCA. The Husker women's golf program leads the nation with 44 NGCA Scholastic All-Americans since the program's inception in 1989.

Beste, a senior from Sauk Centre, Minn., who graduated with her bachelor's degree as an accounting major in May, carried nearly a 3.9 grade-point average. A three-time NGCA Scholastic All-American, Beste was also a three-time academic All-Big 12 selection.

An eight-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll, Beste was also a major contributor in the Husker lineup. She won the 2005 Chip-N Club Invitational and as a sophomore in 2004, she tied for 14th at the Big 12 Championships.

Stewart, a sophomore from Vermillion, S.D., earned her second award as an NGCA Scholastic All-American. The two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 selection is a business administration major. She was a key member of the Nebraska lineup that finished with one of the best seasons in school history.

Stewart helped Nebraska to its third NCAA Championships appearance in school history. Nebraska's 20th-place showing at the 24-team NCAA Championships was its second-highest finish in school history, and Stewart helped the Huskers to their best four-round tournament score and single-round NCAA Tournament score in school history.

A total of 371 women's golfers across all divisions captured spots on the prestigious NGCA Scholastic All-America teams. To earn a bid to the team, a student-athlete must carry a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 and have competed in at least 50 percent of their school's rounds during the season.