April 24, 2005
BEND, Ore. –
The Mountain West Conference announced its all-conference team and individual awards Sunday afternoon. UNLV junior Elena Kurokawa was selected as player of the year, while BYU’s Juli Wightman was named freshman of the year. BYU’s Sue Nyhus and Colorado State’s Angie Hopkins shared Coach of the Year honors.
Kurokawa leads the MWC with 74.07 stroke average. She collected six top 10 finishes this season, including four in the top five. Kurokawa earned medalist honors at the 2005 Mountain West Conference Championship with a 1-over 214 to claim her first individual title of the year. She was also a two-time MWC Women’s Golfer of the Month this year, capturing the honor in both February and March.
Juli Wightman of BYU garnered freshman of the year honors after posting a 78.58 stroke average this season. Wightman finished 24th at the MWC Women’s Golf Championship and was dominate in head-to-head competition against fellow league freshmen this year.
Sue Nyhus of BYU and Angie Hopkins of Colorado State were named Co-Coaches of the Year. Nyhus led the Cougars to six top five tournament finishes this season, while Hopkins directed the Rams to seven finishes in the top five in 2004-05, including a team title at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic in September.
New Mexico had the most all-conference selections with three, marking the fifth year in a row the Lobos have had at least three student-athletes on the all-league team. New Mexico’s Kailin Downs became the first-ever four-time all-conference honoree, while her teammate Ashley Rollins captures all-league accolades for the second consecutive year.
Player of the Year: Elena Kurokawa, Jr., UNLV
Freshman of the Year: Juli Wightman, Fr., BYU
Co-Coaches of the Year: Sue Nyhus, BYU; Angie Hopkins, Colorado State
All-Conference Team: Rachel Newren, So., BYU; Kristen Campos, Sr., Colorado State; Kailin Downs, Sr., New Mexico; Ashley Rollins, So., New Mexico; Christine Fernandez, Jr., New Mexico; Elena Kurokawa, Jr., UNLV