PROVO -- Three Cougar golfers earned Mountain West Conference honors this weekend. Sophomore Rachel Newren, BYU's top golfer, was one of six golfers named to the MWC's All-Conference Team, while Juli Wightman was named the MWC's Freshman of the Year and head coach Sue Nyhus earned co-coach of the year in the MWC.
Newren, who is on pace to set the all-time best season stroke average at BYU, became BYU's first all-conference performer since Carrie Summerhays in 2002. The sophomore from Salt Lake City is the reigning MWC golfer of the month for April and finished second at last weekend's MWC Championship behind fellow All-MWC performer Elena Kurokawa of UNLV. Newren is currently ranked No. 49 in the nation individually and has finished in the top 20 in seven out of ten tournaments this season. She has also placed in the top 10 in five tournaments this season including a first-place finish at the BYU Dixie Classic earlier this month.
Wightman, a true freshman from Chicopee, Mass. has made an immediate impact on the Cougars' squad. She played in nine out of ten tournaments on the season and was dominant in head-to-head competition against fellow league freshman this year. Her best finish of the season was at the Bay Area Classic where she finished in 12th place thanks to a final round 71.
Nyhus, in her fourth season as BYU's head women's golf coach, earned her first conference coach of the year honor. Nyhus and Angie Hopkins of Colorado State were named co-coaches of the year in the Mountain West. Nyhus has helped lead BYU to a No. 36 nationally ranking, the Cougars' best ranking in a decade. Nyhus also helped lead the Cougars to six top five finishes in 10 tournaments this season. She now is gearing to prepare her team for the 2005 NCAA West regional in Las Cruces, N.M. on May 5-7.