Four Huskers Earn WGCA Academic Honors

Four Huskers captured spots on the WGCA All-America Scholar Team when the Women's Golf Coaches Association announced its annual academic award winners on Thursday, July 6.

Graduate student Megan Whittaker (Elkhorn, Neb.) became the first Husker in history to claim five WGCA All-America Scholar awards in her career, while junior Lindsey Thiele (Wahoo, Neb.) added her third national honor as a Husker.

All-Big Ten golfer Kelli Ann Strand (Challis, Idaho) claimed the first award of her career as a true freshman, while sophomore Andrea Velez (Pereira, Colombia) added the first WGCA All-America Scholar recognition of her career as well.

All time, 40 Nebraska women's golfers have earned a nation-leading 95 WGCA All-America Scholar awards since 1989. While Whittaker is the first Husker five-time WGCA All-America Scholar, she is one of eight Nebraska women's golfers to achieve the honor on four occasions. Whittaker's mother, Kim (Lefler), was a three-time WGCA All-America Scholar (1992, 1993, 1994) at Nebraska.

Thiele became the 18th Husker three-time WGCA All-America Scholar, joining her older sister, Haley, who was a four-time All-America Scholar (2016, 2018, 2019, 2020). Hannah Thiele was also a WGCA All-America Scholar for the Huskers in 2018.

To be selected to the WGCA All-America Scholar Team, student-athletes must maintain an overall grade-point average of 3.5 or better, while maintaining a spot on their school's roster through the conclusion of the season.  Golfers must have played in 50 percent or more of their school's competitive rounds during the season.