Women's Golf | May 23, 2019

Sophomore Gabriela Ruffels and freshman Malia Nam were named WGCA All-American second teamers while sophomores Alyaa Abdulghany and Amelia Garvey were selected as honorable mention picks, it was released Thursday, the quartet joining already named first-teamer Jennifer Chang.
 
The five All-American Trojans equal the school-record for All-Americans in a season, matching the totals of 2014, when USC finished second by two strokes, and in 2008, when the Troy captured its second national title.
 
All five played major parts in No. 1 USC's seven victories this season, tied for second most in school history, along with co-starter junior Allisen Corpuz, an All-Pac-12 selection. Only Chang had earned All-American before.
 
"We are absolutely thrilled that the WGCA honored five of our players with All-American nods this season," USC first-year head coach Justin Silverstein said. "Jennifer has been our pace car all year and had an all-time great season for us.
 
"Malia, Gabriela, Alyaa and Amelia all did incredible things this season and I'm happy that their achievements were recognized at the highest level. We can't wait to get back to work next season with these five players returning along with Allisen Corpuz, a top-50 ranked player in the world."
 
The Trojan quintet of All-Americans finished third in the NCAA Championships stroke play to earn USC's fifth-straight berth into the NCAA's match play bracket, but fell 3-2 in the quarterfinals to defending champion Arizona.
 
Ruffels, an All-Pac-12 first teamer, finished fourth on the team with a 72.73 stroke average with five top 10s and eight top 16 results this season. She posted her first collegiate victory at the Windy City Collegiate at 10-under 206 (69-66-71), her second round a collegiate best. Ruffels came close to her second first and a share of the Pac-12 crown, finishing third at the conference tournament at 3-under 210 (70-72-68), one stroke back of a playoff. Her next best finish is a tie for seventh at the Silverado Showdown at 3-over 219 (72-72-75). She also came through with the decisive point at the East Lake Cup, coming from behind to defeat Stanford All-American Andrea Lee, 2&1.
 
Nam, also an All-Pac-12 first teamer, was third on the team in stroke average at 72.57. She had nine top 17 finishes, eight in the top 12 and four in the top 7. She and Chang had a team-high-tying seven rounds in the 60s, tied for fifth-most on USC's all-time season chart.

Nam almost won her debut collegiate event, taking second at 12-under 204 (69-66-69) at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate. Nam's 12-under tied her for the second-most under par performance in a 54-hole event in school history, one off the school mark on a 72-par course, and she is just one of five Trojans to post a 204 or lower. Nam opened her career with four straight rounds in the 60s and started her career with five straight top 12 finishes, including a tie for third in the lone East Lake Cup round and a 10^th at 1-under 212 (67-74-71) at the Stanford Intercollegiate. Nam tied for second at the Silverado Showdown at par 216 (71-75-70) and tied for seventh in USC's win at the Clover Cup at 5-over 221 (73-74-74).
 
Abdulghany, an All-Pac-12 honorable mention pick, finished second on the team in stroke average (72.50), 21^st on USC's all-time list. She finished the season with five top 10s and seven top 13s this season. Abdulghany secured her first collegiate win on Feb. 12 at the Battle at the Rock in Riverside, Calif., coming from behind to force a playoff after her 4-under 212 (70-74-68) and then winning the playoff on the second hole with a 6-foot birdie. She entered the NCAA Championships riding a streak of five straight top 15 finishes with a pair of top 7s in the postseason with a tie for seventh at the NCAA Cle Elum Regional at 5-under 211 (70-72-69) and a seventh at the Pac-12 Championships at 2-over 215 (70-74-71).
 
The streak also included a tie for 13th at the PING/ASU Invitational at 1-under 215 (74-71-70), a tie for seventh at the Clover Cup at 5-over 221 (76-74-71) and her win at Battle at the Rock. In the final, she finished fourth at the Stanford Intercollegiate at 5-under 208 (67-71-70), her first round and 54-hole finish both collegiate bests. Her birdie on 18 at the PING/ASU in the final round clinched the tournament for the Trojans.
 
Garvey, an All-Pac-12 first teamer, was fifth on the team with a 73.20 stroke average and finished no worse than a tie for 16^th in eight of nine starts this year, including three tops 10s. She closed the season with a tie for seventh at the NCAA Championships at 2-over 221 (74-73-74), USC's best finish at nationals since Doris Chen won the NCAA title in 2014. She posted a collegiate best tie for fifth at the Clover Cup at 4-over 220 (74-73-73), besting her tie for eighth at the Stanford Intercollegiate at 3-under 210 (69-72-69). She fired a collegiate-best 5-under 67 to tie for 11^th at the Silverado Showdown at 5-over 221 (78-76-67) to complement three rounds of 69s this year