By Terry Finisterre
Barbados’ top female golfer Emily Odwin has added yet another accolade to her growing list of credentials.
The 22-year-old Odwin was named Female Student-Athlete of the Year when Southern Methodist University held its annual Mustang Awards earlier this week.
The award is presented to an individual who has achieved a high level of success in the competitive arena while maintaining good academic standing. This award recognises a team leader whose performance impacts the collective ability of their teammates and brings a positive image to SMU.
Odwin, a senior, was also nominated for the Student-Athlete Choice Award and the Perseverance Award during the ceremony at McFarlin Auditorium.
This year, Odwin was one of the most consistent performers for the Mustangs. In 31 rounds, she recorded an average of 71.82, ranking fifth all-time in programme history. She also competed in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and throughout the season maintained a 3.76 GPA.
Odwin, the reigning Barbados Olympic Association’s Senior Female Athlete of the Year dedicated the award to her teammates and her supporting team.
“I think it’s really easy when you have a team around you that’s full of great people and you have a really good support staff, so at the end of the day, this isn’t my award, this is a kind of a collective thing,” Odwin said.
Odwin and the SMU team are in Texas this week for the Waco Regional of the NCAA Championship, which gets underway on Monday.
Competing over three days at the Ridgewood Country Club, the Mustangs are the No. 4 seed, and will be aiming for their third trip to the NCAA Championship in the last four seasons. The championship tournament is set for May 22-27 in Carlsbad, California.
“The job’s not done. We go to Regionals on Saturday so I’m excited for that. And I think that this team still has a lot in them, and I really think that,” Odwin said.
“I do think that this is a team that can contend for a national championship. I would not have come back after the fall if I didn’t believe that to my core. I think right now we’ve just got to look to Regionals, make it through there and take it one round at a time.”
In late April, Odwin tied for seventh at the US Women’s Open Qualifying Tournament in Corral de Tierra, California.
terryfinisterre@stluciatimes.com
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