Shannon Holden Earns All-American Honors

2014 May 20

Shannon Holden (Fy./Simi Valley, Calif./Royal) has earned All-America honorable mention honors from the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA). Holden is Carleton's first All-American in women's golf.

Holden was one of six first-year players accorded All-America honors in Division III and one of only two players from the region (Minnesota and Iowa) on the first, second or honorable mention team. The rookie sensation led the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and entire region in stroke average at 79.00. She tallied two victories, winning the 2013 MIAC Championships while also taking co-medalist honors in a dual with Gustavus Adolphus College in April. She added four other top-five finishes on top of those two victories. Holden was also tabbed for the 10-player all-region team and was joined on that squad by teammates Grace Gilmore (So./Edina, Minn.), Kelsey Moede (Jr./Lake Oswego, Ore.) and Geraldine Tellbuescher (Fy./Ashiya, Japan/Canadian Academy).

Head Coach Eric Sieger was selected as all-region coach for the first time after leading the Knights to their best season in school history. The MIAC co-coach of the year with the University of St. Thomas' Sara Evens, Sieger led the youthful Knights within a single shot of the MIAC team title at last October's conference championships. The Knights posted the lowest stroke average in the MIAC this season (323.9), a school record, and won the Carleton Invite and the Blugold Spring Invitational to cap the spring season. They also defeated four nationally-ranked teams at the Washington University (St. Louis) event and tied with the sixth-ranked team in the country.

The awards were announced at the WGCA's post-season awards banquet as part of the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championships in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

Founded in 1866, Carleton College is a national top 10, private liberal arts college in the historic river town of Northfield, Minnesota, 45 miles south of Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Best known for its academic excellence and warm, welcoming campus community, Carleton offers 37 majors and 15 concentrations in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.

For more information about Carleton Athletics, visit www.carleton.edu/athletics.