IRVING, Texas – The Houston Cougars secured the top two player honors for the season as part of the 2021 American Athletic Conference women’s golf awards that were announced on Tuesday. Both major player awards and American Coach of the Year were voted on by the conference’s 10 women’s golf head coaches.
Karen Fredgaard earned the third straight American Player of the Year award for Houston dating back to 2018, while Zoe Slaughter became the first Cougar to earn American Freshman of the Year. Tulsa’s Annie Young captured American Coach of the Year honors for the first time.
A total of 12 players from six member institutions brought home all-conference plaudits, which were awarded to the top-10 American players in the GolfStat individual player rankings and to any other player who finished among the top seven at the 2021 American Women’s Golf Championship not among that group. Houston led the way with four honorees, followed by UCF, East Carolina and Tulsa boasting two players each.
Fredgaard joined Leonie Harm (2018-19) as Houston women’s golfers to capture player of the year in The American as part of a sensational sophomore season. She was slotted seventh in the April 20 GolfStat rankings, logging a 70.59 adjusted stroke average thus far in the 2020-21 campaign. Fredgaard holds a 42-2 head-to-head mark against other members of the GolfStat top 100 players prior to NCAA Regionals. Fresh off a third-place showing at the American Women’s Golf Championship on April 18-20 with a three-round score of 218 (75-76-67), Fredgaard was previously named the American Women’s Golf Player of the Week on Feb. 3 and Feb. 21 and was tabbed the Golfweek National Player of the Week on Feb. 8.
Slaughter enjoyed a successful first year with Houston, sitting in the top 200 players of the latest GolfStat rankings with a 73.73 adjusted stroke average for the season. She claimed American Women’s Golf Player of the Week on March 24 following a runner-up finish at the MountainView Collegiate in Saddlebrook, Arizona. Slaughter placed seventh individually for Houston at the American Women’s Golf Championship at Pinehurst No. 6, carding rounds of 74-72-75 for a final tournament score of 221.
Young led Tulsa to its first championship in women’s golf as an American member in her third season at the helm of the Golden Hurricane, with the team ranked 49th according to GolfStat prior to NCAA Regionals. Young helped guide both Lorena Tseng and Lilly Thomas to all-conference recognition during the season, and along with the American Women’s Golf Championship trophy Tulsa added team victories at the Texas State Invitational on Feb. 8-9 and the Rebel Beach Invitational on Feb. 15-16.
2021 American Women’s Golf Awards
Player of the Year
Karen Fredgaard, So., Houston
Freshman of the Year
Zoe Slaughter, Fr., Houston
Coach of the Year
Annie Young, Tulsa
All-Conference Team
Ana Laura Collado, Jr., UCF
Tunrada Piddon, Fr., UCF
Dorthea Forbrigd, Sr., East Carolina
Julie Boysen Hillestad, Jr., East Carolina
Karen Fredgaard, So., Houston
Delaney Martin, Fr., Houston
Anne Normann, Fr., Houston
Zoe Slaughter, Fr., Houston
Melanie Green, Fr., USF
Kennedy Pedigo, Jr., SMU
Lilly Thomas, So., Tulsa
Lorena Tseng, Jr., Tulsa