The Emory University women's golf team had two golfers earn All-American honors late last week as well as five golfers named to the Southeast All-Region team as announced by the WGCA. In addition, Head Coach Katie Futcher was named the Southeast Region Coach of the Year for her leadership of the 2022 national champion Eagles.
After being named the 2022 WGCA National Freshman of the Year, freshman Sharon Mun earned a spot on the All-American First Team for her performance throughout the season. Individual national champion Ellen Dong earned a spot on the All-American Second Team early last week as the awards were decided before the completion of the NCAA DIII Women's Golf Championships with sophomore Irene Wang earning an All-American Honorable Mention nod as one of the top performers for the Eagles all season. Freshman Heejo Hyun and sophomore Mariana Chong, alongside Mun, Dong and Wang, were named to the Southeast All-Region team to go along with the All-America selections.
Mun had a phenomenal season, earning a spot on First Team All-American, First Team All-Region, First Team All-UAA and the national Freshman of the Year winner. Mun led the team throughout the season, setting the program record for scoring average with 73.2 strokes per round. Mun finished in the top 12 at each of the eight tournaments she participated in this year and led the Eagles in scoring in three out of the eight. Mun was rock-solid for the Eagles at the NCAA DIII Golf Championships, recording a 294 (73-73-73-75) to finish second for Emory and in a tie for 11th to help lead the Eagles to their first ever national championship. At the UAA Championship, Mun was pivotal in helping Emory secure its first ever UAA title winning in the three spot in 19 holes to give the Eagles a 3-2 edge over Carnegie Mellon in the match-play contest. Carding a 211 (69-72-70) at the Jekyll Island Collegiate, Mun finished in second place overall to help lead the Eagles to their best ever three round score (866) and their largest margin of victory at a tournament in program history (29 strokes). Mun's 69 strokes in the first round of the Jekyll Island Collegiate marked a personal best and is tied for the third best mark in program history. In her freshman season, Mun won her first ever tournament at the DIII Golfweek Invitational registering a 219 to help lead the Eagles to one of six tournament victories in the 2021-22 season.
Dong was a vital piece for Emory this season and capped her year off with an individual championship at the NCAA DIII Golf Championships, becoming the first Eagle, men's or women's, to earn an individual title since 1991 and second-ever in school history. Dong tallied a 289 (75-68-72-74) to tie her for the championship lead at the end of 72-holes and won the title in a tense one-hole playoff over George Fox's Alison Takamiya. Dong's four-round score of 289 established the new NCAA Championship tournament record and her second round score of 68 also marked the lowest score in a single round in championship history. Dong finished second on the team in scoring average over the course of the season with 73.4 strokes per round. At the UAA Tournament, Dong's performance was vital to the Eagles winning their first ever UAA title as she was named tournament MVP for her 3 & 2 victory in the one spot over NYU. Dong's season started out strong as she was the co-winner at the Lynn Schweizer Invitational, along with teammate Wang, shooting a 144 (72-72) to help the Eagles earn the first tournament win in program history. Dong matched her season best individual round score at the BSC Panthers Classic where she shot a 68 in round one and her two round score of 141 (68-73) is the best in program history.
Wang was one of the more consistent members of the Emory women's golf team this season and was one of two sophomores to be named to the All-Region team for the women. Wang finished the season with the third best scoring average at 73.9 strokes per round. Wang took part in eight tournaments throughout the season and finished in the top 10 in three of them. Competing at the MCC Intercollegiate, Wang set the record for the lowest scoring round in program history with a 67 in the first round that helped her to a seventh place finish. Wang helped the Eagles earn their first ever UAA Championship title with a 2 & 1 victory in the two hole as part of the team's tight 3-2 victory over NYU in the match-play contest. Wang played a pivotal role in the Eagles earning their first ever national championship as she wrapped up the tournament with the third highest score for the Eagles carding a 72-hole total of 298 (72-79-75-73) to finish tied for 17th. Wang won her first ever collegiate tournament at the Lynn Schweizer Invitational to open the year where she shot a 144 (72-72) to tie with teammate Dong as the tournament co-champions.
Hyun was an important member of the Eagles title run as she finished as the Eagles top scorer on two occasions and finished in the top ten at four tournaments. Hyun, the third member of the Eagles star-studded rookie trio, finished the season with a scoring average of 75.8 strokes per round. Hyun finished fourth for the Eagles and tied for 28th overall at the NCAA DIII Golf Championships posting a score of 303 (72-76-76-79). Hyun's best tournament came at the MCC Intercollegiate where she finished as the Eagles top scorer and tied for third overall with a two-round score of 141 (72-69) with her second round score of 69 marking a personal best. At the Savannah Invitational, Hyun finished with the highest score amongst the Eagles contingent, registering a 147 (72-75) to help Emory to a second place overall finish against some of the top competition in the nation.
Chong earned her second consecutive All-Region nod as one of three Eagles to compete in each of the tournament's Emory competed in the 2021-22 season. Chong finished her season with a scoring average of 76.6 strokes per round which improved on her freshman year mark by over three strokes a round. Competing at the NCAA DIII Golf Championships, Chong finished with a four-day total of 304 (79-79-72-74) to help the Eagles secure their first ever national title. Chong's best performance of the season came at the MCC Intercollegiate where she finished with a 36-hole total of 147 (75-72), a personal best, to finish tied for 14th at tournament's end.