By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Three members of the Tennessee Tech women's golf team were recognized as All-American Scholars by the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Tuesday afternoon.

Senior Hannah Bratton and juniors Elisabeth Toennessen and Gittle Sciolis each earned the honor, making it eight straight years that the Golden Eagle women's golf team has placed at least one student-athlete on the WGCA's All-American Scholar Team. The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics.

To be nominated for WGCA All-American Scholar awards, student-athletes must have an overall GPA of 3.50 or higher for their entire collegiate career and have competed in 50% of the team's competitions for the school year nominated.

"These ladies continue to stay dedicated to the game and their schoolwork," Tech head coach Amanda Smith expressed. "It is not easy having to balance such rigorous class schedules alongside tough practices. They truly put forward the work and it comes back to them two-fold. I'm very happy for these ladies to earn such wonderful honors."

The three Golden Eagles were among a group of 14 from the Ohio Valley Conference included in the 1,485 players chosen throughout every NCAA Division as well as NAIA schools.

A senior from Jackson, Tenn., veteran Hannah Bratton earned the honor for the fourth straight year after leading the team in scoring average and playing all 28 rounds competed by the Golden Eagles. Already boasting a bachelor's degree in marketing with a minor in social science (May 2020) and a master's in business administration (May 2021), she picked up a second bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies with a minor in human ecology in May.

Collecting her third WGCA All-American Scholar honor in as many years was Sciolis, who completed 16 rounds of action to rank fourth on the team scoring in 2021-22. The Bremen, Ga. native is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in EXPW/pre-physical therapy.

Rounding the group, Toennessen also took home her third such honor of her career after delivering 22 rounds of play and the fifth-best average on the team. A native of Grimstad, Norway, the junior continued work on her bachelor's degree in marketing.

About the Women's Golf Coaches Association

The Women's Golf Coaches Association, founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing women's collegiate golf coaches. The WGCA was formed to encourage the playing of college golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition. Today, the WGCA represents over 650 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting, and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.

Photos by Thomas Corhern