Hedberg and Lendl Earn All-SEC Honors for 2012-13 Season
Monday, May 6, 2013 | Women's Golf
Gator women's golfers, sophomore Camilla Hedberg (Sitges, Spain) and senior Isabelle Lendl (Goshen, Conn.) were named to All-SEC teams Monday as announced by the conference office in Birmingham, Ala. Hedberg was named to the All-SEC first team and it is the second all-conference honor of her career, while Lendl was named to the second team for the second time in her career.
With Hedberg and Lendl's honor, it marks the 12th consecutive year that Florida has had at least one player named to an All-SEC team and is the second-straight year that UF had two players named All-SEC. Before last season, the last time that UF had at least two players named all conference was in 2008.
The notion also marks the first All-SEC athletes under head coach Emily Bastel. Last season, Bastel was the assistant coach for a Gator team that saw Hedberg and current senior Mia Piccio (Bacolod City, Philippines) receive second team honors.
“There's no doubt that both players have had great years and are well-deserving of All-SEC honors,” Bastel said. “For Camilla being on the first team and to move up from where she was last year shows that she is still improving, which is huge in this game and what she wants to do long term in her golf career. I'm super proud of them both. They are both very deserving and it's an honor to see both of their hard work pay off.”
Hedberg is finishing up another stellar season for Florida as she has been one of the top players in the country all year. The Spaniard is currently ranked second in the conference with a 71.92 stroke average, only trailing the 2013 SEC individual champion, Stephanie Meadow of Alabama. Nationally, she has been in the top-10 all season being and ranked as high as No. 1 at one point during the year. Currently, Hedberg is No. 13 in GolfWeek and No. 19 in GolfStat.
Hedberg has claimed three medalist titles this year after winning the season-opening Cougar Classic and then the Betsy Rawls Invitational in a playoff to close the fall. She then came back to win the Florida Challenge in her very next tournament. Hedberg joins the ranks of only 11 other Gators in school history to win at least three tournaments in their careers and one of only five Gators to win at least three tournaments in one season.
For Lendl, the senior has also been a major factor in this year's Gator squad joining Hedberg as the top two players in the nation at one point in the season according to GolfStat. At the end of the fall season, Lendl was the No. 1 player in the country with a 70.67 stroke average after winning the Dale McNamara Invite and the Tar Heel Invitational.
Currently, at the end of the spring, Lendl is still in the top five in the conference as she is the fourth-ranked player in the SEC with a 72.48 stroke average, which is also good for second on the team. This year's SEC honor is Lendl's second of her career as she was last named to an All-SEC team in 2010, her freshman year, where she was also named to the SEC's All-Freshman Team.
For a complete list of Florida players who have received All-SEC honors, CLICK HERE.
This week, the Gators begin their quest for a third-straight appearance in the NCAA Championship as they will compete in the NCAA Central Regional in Norman, Okla. The three-round tournament is set to begin on Thursday and run through Saturday. The top-eight teams in the field after three rounds will advance to the championship with two individuals, who are not on those eight teams as well.
For complete coverage of UF's women's golf program visit GatorZone.com, follow @GatorZoneGolf on Twitter and 'like' the University of Florida Women's Golf page on Facebook.
2013 SEC Women's Golf Awards
SEC Coach of the Year
Mic Potter, Alabama
SEC Golfer of the Year
Stephanie Meadow, Alabama
SEC Freshman of the Year
Emma Talley, Alabama
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Stephanie Meadow, Alabama
All-SEC Teams
First-Team All-SEC
Stephanie Meadow, Alabama (SEC Championship Medalist)
Camilla Hedberg, Florida
Erica Popson, Tennessee
Emilie Burger, Georgia
Emily Tubert, Arkansas
Ally McDonald, Mississippi State
Kendall Martindale, Vanderbilt
Madelene Sagstrom, LSU
Second-Team All-SEC
Emma Talley, Alabama
Isabelle Lendl, Florida
Manuela Carbajo Re, Georgia
Gaby Lopez, Arkansas
Lauren Stratton, Vanderbilt
Jennifer Kirby, Alabama
Marta Sanz, Auburn
Hannah Collier, Alabama
SEC All-Freshman Team
Emma Talley, Alabama
Manuela Carbajo Re, Georgia
Gaby Lopez, Arkansas
Sarah Schmelzel, South Carolina
Jenny Hahn, Vanderbilt
Regina Plasencia, Arkansas
Kailey Walsh, Georgia
Sarah Harris, Kentucky
