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IRVINE, Calif. - UC Riverside sophomore Tiffany Le headlines the 202 All-Big West Women’s Golf Team, as voted on by the league’s nine head coaches.
The Big West Championship runner-up and second time All-Big West first team selection, Le is the first-ever Highlander to claim Big West Women’s Golfer of the Year. In 2022-23 Le competed in 10 events, placing in the top 10 on eight occasions, including five-straight top 5’s to cap the year. The native of Walnut, Calif, averaged 72.20 strokes per round, and is was ranked 33rd in the west region at the conclusion of The Big West Championship. Le is the only repeat first-team performer from the 2022 All-Big West Team, and is the lone representative from UC Riverside on the 2023 all-conference teams.
Big West Championship victors Cal Poly are represented by first-team selection Nicole Neale, Jensen Jalufka on the second team and honorable mention nods for Kamille Dimayuga and Vanessa Wang. Neale is the only other career first-time honoree, earning distinction in 2021 as a freshman. This season, the redshirt junior from Dove Canyon, Calif. Posted four top-10 finishes while averaging 73.92 strokes per round. In the Championship, Neale was one of two golfers to card an eagle at Spanish Trail Country Club in Las Vegas. The Mustangs captured their third consecutive title, winning by 11 strokes over second-place Long Beach State.
All told, the Mustangs’ four individual honorees is the most of any Big West program to find themselves on the All-Big West listings.
First-year player and Big West individual medalist Jasmine Leovao of Long Beach State collected Freshman of the Year acclaim after an impressive season for the Beach. Leovao finished the campaign with six top 10s in ten tries, including the individual victory in the postseason. The native of Oceanside, Calif., opened the title pursuit at the Championship with a 6-under 66 in the first round of play before claiming the wire-to-wire win, and closing the year averaging 73.75 strokes per round.
Leovao is joined by fifth-year player Hannah Ko on the first team, a second-team pick from last season. Ko capped the year with a third-place finish in the Championship, and closed the season with four finishes in the top 5. Also earning distinction for LBSU is Jasmine’s twin sister Janae, placed on the All-Big West second team after solid freshman campaign.
Coach of the Year belongs to Beach leader Alyssa Waite, in her second season at the helm of the program. Waite guided the youthful Long Beach State squad to the top seed in the Big West Championship field, and a runner-up team finish in the event. Earning a first Big West Coach of the Year nod, Waite is the fifth selection for a LBSU leader, joining Joey Cerulle (2018, ’19) and Sue Ewart (2005, ’09) as honorees.
The first team is rounded out by Hawai’i sophomore Hyeonji Kang and Cal State Fullerton freshman Davina Xanh. Kang was a second-team selection and member of the Big West All-Tournament Team for the Rainbow Wahine a year ago. This year, the native of Jeju, South Korea, competed in nine events with two top 5s, including a runner-up performance in UH’s final regular-season tournament of the year at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic. Xanh helped the Titans to a fourth-place finish in The Big West Championship and turned in a season highlighted by a tie for first at the Pat Lesser-Harbottle Invitational in the fall.
Additional second-team selections include Kang’s teammate and Hawai’i native Mayumi Umezu, Skyler May of UC Davis and UC Irvine’s Megan Yang. Aggie Abby Leighton and Titan Elina Sasksa round out the honorable mention list with seven programs boasting at least one member of the 2023 All-Big West Teams.
Tune into the Golf Channel at 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday, April 26 to find out who will be representing The Big West on the national stage.
| The Big West 2023 All-Conference Team |
| Golfer of the Year: |
Tiffany Le, UC Riverside |
| Freshman of the Year: |
Jasmine Leovao, Long Beach State |
| Coach of the Year: |
Alyssa Waite, Long Beach State |
| All-Big West First Team
|
|
Student-Athlete
|
Year
|
Institution
|
Hometown
|
|
Hyeonji Kang
|
So.
|
Hawai’i
|
Jeju, South Korea
|
|
Hannah Ko
|
5th Yr.
|
Long Beach State
|
Fullerton, Calif.
|
|
Tiffany Le
|
So.
|
UC Riverside
|
Walnut, Calif.
|
|
Jasmine Leovao
|
Fr.
|
Long Beach State
|
Oceanside, Calif.
|
|
Nicole Neale
|
Jr.
|
Cal Poly
|
Dove Canyon, Calif.
|
|
Davina Xanh
|
Fr.
|
Cal State Fullerton
|
Weston Super Mare, England
|
| All-Big West Second Team
|
| Student-Athlete |
Year |
Institution |
Hometown |
| Jensen Jalufka |
R-Jr. |
Cal Poly |
Austin, Texas |
| Janae Leovao |
Fr. |
Long Beach State |
Oceanside, Calif. |
| Skyler May |
So. |
UC Davis |
Stockton, Calif. |
| Mayumi Umezu |
So. |
Hawai'i |
Waimea, Hawai'i |
| Megan Yang |
Jr. |
UC Irvine |
San Jose, Calif. |
| Honorable Mention: Kamille Dimayuga (Cal Poly); Abigail Leighton (UC Davis); Elina Saksa (Cal State Fullerton); Vanessa Wang (Cal Poly) |