Hoch Named All-Big 12

AUSTIN, Texas - The first player to lead the team in strokes per average as a freshman in six years and the first player in program history to bring home medalist honors twice, is now the University of Colorado's first women's golfer to be named all-conference as sophomore Hannah Hoch was named All-Big 12 Second Team at the conference championship banquet here Thursday night.

        "I'm very excited," said Hoch from Austin.  "I remember last year seeing the awards being presented and not really knowing what it meant.  Only 10 players are awarded, so it's pretty special."

Colorado's No. 1 player with a 74.5 strokes per average, Hoch is currently the third ranked third in the league, 122nd nationally.  She has shot par or better eight times this season, including a season-low 69 twice.  Following a runner-up finish in the season opener, Hoch became just the second Buff to win a tournament, and first since 1998, when she claimed medalist honors in the
Ron Moore Intercollegiate in Denver.  Four tournaments later she would become the first Buff to do it twice, picking up the win at the Miccosukee Championship in Miami. For that, she was the Big 12 Player of the Month, another first for the CU program.  With a three-round 215 at CU's Mountain View Collegiate this spring, she bettered the 54-hole school record by a pair of shots.  Entering this week's championship she has six top-10 finishes and seven top 20.  If she maintains, or improves her strokes per average by the end of the season she will better her fourth school record, with lowest strokes per average first two years at CU.

        "I'm extremely proud and happy for her," said head coach Anne Kelly.  "It's a well-deserved honor.  She's worked hard and played hard for it.  I hope it's the first of many more!"

        Hoch and teammates Maria Persson-Gulda, Allison Rella, Jess Ellis and Jessie Malcolm tee off the ninth annual Big 12 Championships here Friday morning. The Buffs are paired with seventh-ranked Oklahoma State and Iowa State on and will be the first group on the 10th tee at 7 a.m. (MT).

        When asked if tonight's award gave her any more motivation for this weekend's championship Hoch responded, "I don't think we can have any more motivation. After last year's finish we knew we had something to prove.  We're just going to go out there and have a much better tournament."