Big Ten Names Women’s Golfers to Watch

Three Nebraska women’s golfers were named among the list of preseason honorees in the Big Ten Golfers to Watch list announced by the conference on Thursday, Jan. 21.

Kate Smith, a fifth-year senior from Detroit Lakes, Minn., returns as the Big Ten Mary Fossum Award winner. Smith, who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2020, produced the top stroke average relative to par among any conference women’s golfer in 2019-20.

Smith, who recently earned an invitation to play in the second annual Augusta National Women’s Amateur, will take aim at an NCAA Regional bid after a strong summer and fall competing as an individual.

Graduate transfer Alice Duan joins Smith among the golfers to watch in her first season as a Husker. Duan was named the Washington Golf Women’s Player of the Year in 2020 after winning the Washington Women’s Amateur Championship. She also helped the Huskies to an NCAA Championship appearance in 2019. Duan, who is originally from Reno, Nev., spent her first two college seasons at Cal State Northridge.

Junior Megan Whittaker rounds out the Husker Golfers to Watch after producing solid freshman and sophomore seasons. The Elkhorn, Neb., native is a two-time WGCA Scholastic All-American. She was also a Big Ten Distinguished and Academic All-Big Ten selection for the Huskers in 2020. 

2021 Big Ten Women’s Golfers to Watch

Kate Smith, Nebraska – RSr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.

Alice Duan, Nebraska – Gr., Reno, Nev.

Megan Whittaker, Nebraska – Jr., Elkhorn, Neb.

Tristyn Nowlin, Illinois – Sr., Richmond, Ky.

Crystal Wang, Illinois – Jr., Diamond Bar, Calif.

Valerie Clancy, Indiana – So., Mitchelstown, Ireland

Mary Parsons, Indiana – Sr., Delta, British Columbia, Canada

Priscilla Schmid, Indiana – Sr. – Montevideo, Uruguay

Jacquelyn Galloway, Iowa – So., Rio Rancho, N.M.

Morgan Goldstein, Iowa – So., Las Vegas, Nev.

Lea Zeitler, Iowa – So., Fiecht/Mieming Tyrol, Austria

Charlotte Lafourcade, Maryland – Sr., Biarritz, France

Virunpat Olankitkunchai, Maryland – Sr., Bangkok, Thailand

Laura Van Respaille, Maryland – Sr., Wambrechies, France

Hailey Borja, Michigan – So., Lake Forest, Calif.

Ashley Kim, Michigan – Sr., Redondo Beach, Calif.

Ashley Lau, Michigan – Jr., Malaysia

Haylin Harris, Michigan State – Jr., Carmel, Ind.

Valery Plata, Michigan State – Jr., Floridablanca, Colombia

Yurika Tanida, Michigan State – Sr., Kanagawa, Japan

Annabelle Ackroyd, Minnesota – So., Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Joanne Free, Minnesota – Sr., Gullane, Scotland

Kate Lillie, Minnesota – Sr., St. Charles, Ill.

Irene Kim, Northwestern – So., La Palma, Calif.

Brooke Riley, Northwestern – Gr., Manteca, Calif.

Kelly Sim, Northwestern – Jr., Edgewater, N.J.

Lauren Peter, Ohio State – So., Carmel, N.Y.

Aneka Seumanutafa, Ohio State – So., Emmitsburg, Md.

Kailie Vongsaga, Ohio State – Fr., Diamond Bar, Calif.

Mathilde Delavallade, Penn State – So., Royan, France

Megan McLean, Penn State – Gr., Lebanon, N.J.

Sarah Willis, Penn State – Jr., Eaton, Ohio

Kan Bunnabodee, Purdue – Fr., Chonburi, Thailand

Danielle du Toit, Purdue – So., Pretoria, South Africa

Sifat Sagoo, Purdue – Fr., New Delhi, India

Anna-Maria Diederichs, Rutgers – So., Dusseldorf, Germany

Maeve Rossi, Rutgers – Jr., Milan, Italy

Manon Tounalom, Rutgers – Gr., Buchelay, France

Claire Fitzgerald, Wisconsin – Sr., Lake Mary, Fla.

Tracy Lee, Wisconsin – Jr., Seoul, South Korea

Bobbi Stricker, Wisconsin – Sr., Madison, Wis.