Chen Named UAA Women’s Golf Rookie of the Year; Three Others Honored

(ROCHESTER, N.Y.) – Freshman Grace Chen (Sunnyvale, Calif./Saint Francis) of the Carnegie Mellon University women's golf team was named University Athletic Association (UAA) Women's Golf Rookie of the Year when the UAA announced its league awards on Tuesday. Chen was also named to the first team and is joined on the top squad by classmate Nadia Susanto (Irvine, Calif./Arnold O. Beckman). Junior Yedin Lui (Idaho Falls, Idaho) along with sophomore Charlotte Simpson (Towson, Md./Bryn Mawr School) both found a spot on the second team.

This marks the third straight season Lui has been honored by the league coaches and second for Simpson. Lui is now a three-time second team honoree while Simpson was on the first team a year ago.

The four helped the Cardinal and Gray record two team victories this season, including the 21-team Jekyll Island Invitational, while turning in a second-place team showing at the Golfweek Fall Preview.

The Tartans set three team school records this past season while recording the four top lowest team rounds in program history and three top two-round scores. The Cardinal and Gray carded a program best 300 at the Generals Invitational hosted by Washington & Lee University in October when the team carded a two-round score of 604, also the best in program history. At the Jekyll Island Collegiate in March, the Tartans set the lowest three-round score with a 912.

Chen earned individual medalist honors at the UAA Championships after carding a school record 36-hole score of 147. Chen's lowest round of the season, one-over par 73, came in the opening round of the championship tournament. The freshman ended the regular season tied for the team lead with a 78.1 scoring average in 16 rounds of play.

Susanto, who tied for the team lead with a scoring average of 78.1 through 16 rounds, recorded three top-ten finishes this season. The first year recorded her highest finish at the Carnegie Mellon Fall Shootout where she placed third with a 36-hole score of 153.

Simpson finished the regular season third on the team with a scoring average of 78.4 in 16 rounds of play. The sophomore claimed top medalist honors at the Carnegie Mellon Fall Shootout, posting a collegiate-best round of 72 in the final round of play. Her 72 also ranks as the second-best single round in program history.

Lui had a scoring average of 79.5 in 14 rounds of play. She recorded two top-ten finishes and recorded a career-best round of 73 at the Jekyll Island Collegiate where she recorded a 54-hole score of 229 along with Chen and Simpson, which ranks tied for the third-best three-round score at Carnegie Mellon.