Eastern Michigan Athletics

Thelma Beck, Karyn Lee Ping, Kelsey Murphy and Lauren Stephens collected Academic All-MAC honors

Four Women's Golfers Selected to 2016 Academic All-MAC Team

5/4/2016 3:44:00 PM | Women's Golf

Thelma Beck, Karyn Lee Ping, Kelsey Murphy and Lauren Stephens collected the honor

CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's golf team saw four student-athletes named to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference team by the league office Wednesday, May 4. Thelma Beck (Baden, France-Lycee Sainte Anne), Karyn Lee Ping (Brampton, Ontario-St. Augustine Secondary School), Kelsey Murphy (Plymouth, Mich.-Plymouth) and Lauren Stephens (Dublin, Ohio-Coffman) each garnered the honor.  For Beck and Stephens, it was the first time they were named to the Academic All-MAC team, while Murphy and Lee Ping earned the honor for the second and third times, respectively.

A total of 30 student-athletes were named to the team from this past season, as Bowling Green and EMU led the conference with four student-athletes apiece.

The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport.

Beck, a sophomore with a 3.50 GPA in psychology, had the fifth-best season scoring average in program history at 75.63. The Baden, France native played in nine events, totaling five rounds of par-or-better. She had two top-10 finishes, including a top-five showing. Beck posted a season-best round of 71 twice and finished second in Little Rock with an even-par 216 (71-73-72). She tied for sixth at the Blue Raider Invitational with a 226 (74-76-76) and finished 12th at the Cardinal Classic with a three-round tally of 222 (76-72-74). Currently, she holds the second-best career scoring average in school history at 76.40 in 53 all-time rounds played.

Murphy,  who holds a 3.93 GPA in nursing, set the EMU single-season scoring average at 74.74. She finished 0.22 ahead of Catherine Fortin's previous standard of 74.96 set in 2007-08. The Plymouth, Mich. native had a season low of 66 in the final round of the Cardinal Classic, which was the lowest round in school history en route to medalist honors with a career-best 211 (74-71-66) at the Cardinal Classic. She finished inside the top 25 in every event, including three top 10 showings. Murphy tied for eighth at the Little Rock Classic with a 221 (80-71-70) while taking ninth at the 3M Augusta Invitational with a 216 (70-71-75). Overall, she posted eight rounds of par-or-better this season and ranked sixth in the MAC in stroke average after shaving more than a stroke per 18 off her total from last year. Currently, she holds the best career scoring average in school-history at 76.05 in 87 all-time rounds played.

Lee Ping,  a senior with a 3.56 GPA in the exercise physiology master's program, played in nine events, totaling three rounds of par-or-better. The Brampton, Ontario product turned in her third career top-10 finish at the Rio Verde Invitational when she shot a season-low 221 (74-72-75) for sixth place. She was 14th at the Blue Raider Invitational with a 229 (82-74-73) and backed it up with a 15th place effort at the Cardinal Classic following a 224 (78-78-68). Lee Ping closed out her season at the MAC Championships with a final round 72 to take 26th with a 228 (77-79-72).

Stephens, who holds a 3.24 GPA in communications, played in eight events, posting the best scoring average of her career at 79.63. She shaved off almost a stroke from her total the season prior. A native of Dublin, Ohio, Stephens notched a career-best 71 in the final round of the Blue Raider Invitational to tie for 25th with a 234 (79-84-71). She finished 12th at the MAC Fall Preview with a 54-hole tally of 227 (73-81-73) and opened the MAC Championship with a 74 before finishing in 39th with a 234 (74-83-77).

One of the best seasons in program history, the Eagles posted the lowest 18-hole average in school laurels at 304.04. The tally finished 1.7 strokes ahead of the 2011-12 squad's previous standard of 305.74. Overall, Eastern Michigan finished in the top-five at six different tournaments this season, including a second-place finish in the The Preview, which has also hosted by EMU at Purgatory in the fall.

Akron
Frida Fougberg, Senior, 3.306, Corporate Finance
Lesli Stolly, Senior, 3.404, Exercise Science Physiology
Alejandra Velesco-Villanueva, Junior, 3.589, Corporate Finance
 
Ball State
Kayla Adamson, Sophomore, 3.251, Telecommunication
Meghan McDougall, Senior, 3.831, History
Kelsey Sear, Junior, 3.421, Finance
 
Bowling Green
Mikayla Baer, Junior, 3.576, Biology
Lily Bartell, Senior, 3.747, Multiplatform Journalism
Hannah Lewis, Senior, 3.625, Masters of Accountancy
Fran Rodriguez, Junior, 3.948, Sports Management
 
Central Michigan
Chloe Guschewski, Sophomore, 3.45, Biomedical Sciences
Natalie Johnson, Sophomore, 3.93, Community Health
Kristen Wolfe, Sophomore, 3.88, Information Systems
 
Eastern Michigan
Thelma Beck, Sophomore, 3.50, Psychology
Kelsey Murphy, Junior, 3.93, Nursing
Karyn Lee Ping, Senior, 3.56, Exercise Physiology (Masters)
Lauren Stephens, Senior, 3.24, Communication
 
Kent State
Josée Doyon, Senior, 3.939, Political Science/Criminology and Justice Studies
Wad Phaewchimplee, Junior, 3.63, Environmental Geography
 
Northern Illinois
Sydney Brickey, Junior, 3.43, Organizational & Corporate Communication
Connie Ellett, Senior, 3.91, Marketing
Lena Gautier, Junior, 3.51, Organizational & Corporate Communication
 
Ohio
Hailey Hrynewich, Junior, 3.200, Journalism News and Information
Lauren McKinzie, Senior, 3.577, Journalism and Strategic Communication
Lily Pendy, Sophomore, 3.413, Pre-Athletic Training Education
 
Toledo
Manisa Isavas, Senior, 3.260, Business
Morgan Salm, Senior, 3.584, Marketing and Sales
 
Western Michigan
Julie Champion, Sophomore, 3.83, Criminal Justice
Kaitlyn Watkins, Junior, 3.94, Accountancy
Anna Wilcoxson, Junior, 3.58, Exercise Science
 
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