Trio reap rewards
A trio of Irish golfers are reaping the rewards of team victories at their respective collegiate conference championships.
Carlow sisters Karen and Tara Delaney formed the backbone of the Kent State University women's team that lifted the Mid-American Conference team title for the ninth year in succession in Nashport, Ohio, last Sunday, while across the state in Columbus, Corkman Turner helped the University of Minnesota men rally from nine shots in arrears to tie for the Michigan State for the Big Ten Golf Championship.
Now all three have been recognised individually with nominations to their conference all-star teams.
For Tara Delaney, the disappointment of losing her individual MAC title to team-mate Kira Meixner was tempered first by the team title she helped Kent State secure and then by her naming as the MAC Golfer of the Year for the second year in a row and she was an All-Tournament
and First Team All-MAC selection.
Her sister Karen, meanwhile, was named an All-MAC Second Team selection following her ninth-place finish. Kent State now progress to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Central Regional Championship on May 10-12 in Michigan, where a successful showing will see them return to the NCAA national championships, which this year will be in Daytona Beach, Florida, at
the end of May.
The men's NCAA nationals will be in Williamsburg, Virginia, in the first week of June and Turner's Minnesota team moved towards a return to the highest stage in collegiate golf with a great comeback on the last day of the Big Ten conference championships.
The Gophers wiped out a nine-shot deficit to tie Michigan State with Australian Bronson La'Cassie leading the way with second place individually on nine-over, 293 at the par 71, 7444-yard Scarlet Course in Columbus.
Muskerry man Turner, who finished in 10th individually at last year's nationals as Minnesota came third, carded a final round 74 to finish tied for seventh at 14-over 298.
Turner and Minnesota now head to the NCAA Regionals on May 17-19 at a venue to be determined on Monday night. They will do so with Turner having been named to the All-Big Ten First Team, his first such honour and a reward for being the Gophers' most consistent golfer all year
with five top-10 finishes.
Also picking up awards in the United States this week were West Waterford's Seamus Power, whose individual victory at the Atlantic Sun Championships helped him win the conference's Freshman of the Year award, while Lisburn's Gareth Shaw, Power's East Tennessee State
team-mate, was a A-Sun first-team selection.
Corkmen Aaron O'Callaghan and Peter O'Keeffe, of Southeastern Louisiana, were named to the All-Southland Conference Men's Golf Teams, as was Donegal's Thomas Kearney of the University of Texas San Antonio.
O'Callaghan made the first team, O'Keeffe the second team and Kearney the third.
