Junior Albane Valenzuela was named one of four finalists for the 2019 Honda Sport Award for Golf on Thursday. The award is presented annually by the College Women Sports Awards (CWSA) and is presented to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports. It signifies "the best of the best in collegiate athletics."
Valenzuela helped lead the Cardinal to the NCAA Championships for the 10th straight season. She tied for first at the Pac-12 Championships in April and finished sixth at NCAA Championships to pace Stanford. She was named first team All-America by the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) and a finalist for the ANNIKA Award and PING WGCA Player of the Year Award.
Valenzuela posted two wins and five Top-10 finishes during her junior season. She had a scoring average of 72.36 through 25 collegiate rounds. She was named CoSIDA Academic All-District and Pac-12 All-Academic first team. Valenzuela is currently playing in this weekend's U.S. Women's Open in Charleston, S.C.
The other finalists joining Valenzuela for the award are Duke's Jaravee Boonchant, Arkansas' Maria Fassi and Florida State's Frida Kinhult. Valenzuela is ranked No. 4 in the Golfstat player rankings and the No. 7 player in the women's world amateur golf ranking.
