COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The record-setting LSU women’s golf season came to an official end late Saturday night when both freshman NCAA individual champion Austin Ernst and LSU all-time average leader senior Megan McChrystal were named first-team All-Americans by the National Golf Coaches Association.
The NGCA, the official organization for women’s college golf coaches, held their banquet on the Texas A&M campus following the conclusion of the NCAA championships at The Traditions Club in Bryan.
It marked the first time in the 32-year history of the program that two LSU women’s golfers earned first-team All-American honors in the same season. They become the fifth and sixth Lady Tigers to earn first-team honors joining Jenny Lidback (1986), Kristi Coats (1991), Katy Harris (2001) and Meredith Duncan (2002).
Ernst won the NCAA individual NCAA champion on Saturday evening shooting a second 6-under 66 in the final round to finish 72 holes at 7-under 281 (72-66-77-66), winning by three shots. She finished her freshman season with two victories and a 73.2 stroke average. Her other win came in the Central District Invitational.
The freshman from Seneca, S.C., also completed the trifecta of finishing in the top 10 in all three post-season events – the SEC Championship, the NCAA regional and the NCAA championships.
McChrystal, from Stuart, Fla., rewrote much of the LSU record book, finished with a single season stroke average record of 72.4, topping the record she already had of 72.7 from the 2008-09 season. She had the top three stroke averages for a single season in LSU history – 72.4, 72.7, 73.1. She also set the career stroke average of 73.2, easily topping the career stroke average of Duncan (1999-02) of 75.01. She finished with five career wins (third most in school history).
McChrystal becomes just the third LSU player to make one of the NGCA teams three times in her career, joining Ashley Winn (1995-96, ’98) and Duncan (2000-02). McChrystal was NGCA Second Team A-A in 2009 and 2010.
The Lady Tigers as a team posted their best ever finish in the 72-hole Championships, finishing third, eight shots behind winner UCLA. The team’s best previous finish was fifth in 1998 in Madison, Wisc.