Fassi Is NCAA’s Top Golfer
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas junior Maria Fassi capped off a record-setting season earning the honor for top player in Division I women’s college golf on Wednesday with her selection as the 2018 winner of the ANNIKA Award presented by 3M.
The ANNIKA Award presented by 3M is selected by a vote of Division I women’s golfers, coaches and golf media. This is the fifth season for the award and Fassi earns an exemption into the Evian Championship.
Fassi is …
• The first winner from Arkansas
• The first winner from the Southeastern Conference
• The first winner NOT from UCLA (2014- Alison Lee; 2016-Bronte Law) or Duke (2015 & 2017 Leona Maguire)
Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam was in-studio at the Golf Channel on Wednesday making the final announcement live.
Fassi paced the Razorbacks to one of the best season’s in program history while sprinkling her name all over the Arkansas women’s golf record books.
The Pachuca, Mexico, native began her career with the Razorbacks in January of 2016 after graduating high school early to play the second semester that season. A solid campaign earned her second-team All-America honors after playing in seven events.
Fassi battled through a sophomore slump but came out swinging as a junior. She won six individual titles and tied for the individual title at the SEC Championship, falling in a two-hole playoff. She won the program’s first individual NCAA Regional title and is only the second player in program history to win four or more events in a single season joining former Razorback Stacy Lewis with that distinction.
Fassi leads the Razorbacks with a 70.50 stroke average and has carded a school record 25 rounds of par or better. She has scored 12 rounds in the 60s and counted a season/career-best 64 twice this year. That score is the second-best round in program history.
Some of her other accomplishments include:
• 7 Wins (tied for medalist honors at the SEC Championship but lost on the second hole of the playoff) – 7 is a program record
• Second player in program history to win more than four events in a single season (Stacy Lewis, 6; 2007-08)
• Nine individual titles in her career
• First NCAA Regional medalist in program history
Individual Records:
• Lowest single-season average, 70.50
• Wins, 7 (including the T-1 in stroke play at the SEC Championship)
• Rounds of par or better, 25
• Low 54 hole total, 200 and Low Score Versus Par, -16 at the Mason Rudolph Championship
• 798-91 (.898) win-loss record this season
• Arkansas’ top finisher in 8 of 11 events
• Leads team with 137 birdies and 8 eagles
• Had a run of six consecutive birdies at the EDE
• Six single round scores rank in the top-10 in program history
• Rounds of 200 (first), 202 (second) and 206 (seventh) rank in the top-10 in program history
Fassi’s honors include (2018):
• Southeastern Conference Women’s Golf Player of the Year, 2018
• First-Team All-Southeastern Conference selection, 2018
• Selected to the inaugural Palmer Cup Team (International)
• Named to WGCA Player of the Year Watch List – 5.15.18
• U.S. Women’s Open Qualifier
Career honors:
• Second-Team All-Southeastern Conference selection, 2016
• SEC All-Freshman Team, 2016
• Ranks No. 1 in Golfweek, No. 1 in Golfstat
• Five-time selection to the Arkansas’ Athletics Department Academic Honor Roll
The Razorbacks
• School record 7 team titles
• Program’s first-ever SEC Championship
• Program’s first-ever NCAA Regional title
• NCAA record-tying 41-under par shooting 823 in win at the Mason Rudolph Championship
• Arkansas played 11 tournaments a total of 60-under par
• Eleven of Arkansas’ 34 rounds rank in the program’s top-10 lowest scores
• NCAA Regional second round score of 271 is second lowest round in program history
• Arkansas’ 17-under 271 in the second round of the NCAA Regional is the second-best round versus par in program history
• Arkansas’ 823 at the Mason Rudolph Championship is the lowest score in program history
• Ranked as high as No. 1 in the fall. Entered the NCAA Championship as the No. 2 team
• 289 in rounds 3 and 4 are program bests at the NCAA Championship
• 1,186 is second-best in program history at NCAA Championship
• Three US Open Qualifiers
• Three Palmer Cup Selections
• Fall Arkansas Athletics Department Honor Roll: AD’s List-Julia Dean, Maria Fassi, Cara Gorlei, Maria Hoyos, Jordy LaBarbera, Brooke Matthews, Alana Uriell | Academic Champion-Kaylee
Benton, Dylan Kim
• Spring Arkansas Athletics Department Honor Roll: Athletic Department Honor Roll: Julia Dean, Maria Fassi, Jordy LaBarbera, Brooke Matthews, Alana Uriell | AD’s List: Kaylee Benton,
Maria Hoyos, Dylan Kim | Academic Champion: Cara Gorlei
More Information
Keep up with all of the latest news and information and get behind the scenes looks into our program on our social media accounts. Follow us on Twitter at @RazorbackWGolf and check out our Facebook page “Razorback Women’s Golf.” Stats, news and player information can be found at ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
