CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — Award season is ramping up around NCAA golf, with some major hardware about to be earned. Announced on Wednesday morning, Paula Martin Sampedro is one of six named to the Watch List for the WGCA Freshman of the Year presented by StrackaLine. The Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women's Golf Anne Walker is also on the Watch List for the Jackie Steinmann WGCA National Coach of the Year presented by Golf Pride.
Of the six finalists, Martin Sampedro has the lowest adjusted scoring average of the group (68.7) and the most top-five finishes (5). She joins Kiara Romero of Oregon as freshmen on the list from the Pac-12. Anna Davis and Maria Jose Marin are from SEC schools, Farah O'Keefe represents the Big 12, while Macy Pate holds the flag for the ACC.
Hailing from Madrid, Spain and ranking as a top-20 amateur, Martin Sampedro has been the most consistent golfer for the Cardinal this season. Entering the NCAA Championships, she leads Stanford with a 68.7 adjusted scoring average in 24 rounds and has finished at par or better in 20 of those 24 rounds. Nine times she has shot in the 60s, including a 5-under 67 in both the Carmel Cup and Juli Inkster Invitational, and has eight top-10 finishes in nine tournaments. Her worst finish this year came at the Pac-12 Championship when she still finished under par for the event.
Postseason awards are still rolling in, but Martin Sampedro earned All-Pac-12 honors following the Pac-12 Championship and was selected to represent the international team at this summer's Arnold Palmer Cup. She also was named one of ten finalists for this year's ANNIKA Award, which has been given to a Cardinal in each of the last three seasons.
Walker is no stranger to landing on the Coach of the Year Watch List. Even after losing Rose Zhang, she has helped keep the Cardinal atop the NCAA rankings, holding the top overall seed heading into the NCAA Championship. Stanford has won four tournaments this season, including the program's sixth regional championship since 2016 and the team's first Pac-12 championship since 2014. Under her leadership, Stanford has won two national championships and produced 28 All-Americans during her first 11 years, with the 2024 All-America announcement still to come.
The 2024 NCAA Championship begins with a practice round on Thursday before the first round of competition takes place on Friday. Stanford tees off at noon at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa before shifting to a 6:40 am tee time on Saturday morning. The Cardinal must finish in the top-15 to advance to Monday's stroke play, and then be inside the top-eight to advance to match play.