Flynn named WAC Freshman of the Year

Five Grand Canyon women's golfers earned postseason All-WAC honors, including the conference's Freshman of the Year award going to Ryan Flynn.

Flynn was also named to the first team alongside junior teammate Constanza Guerrero. Lopes juniors Becca Tschetter, Carly Strole and Lani Luafalealo garnered All-WAC second-team accolades as GCU had the second-most postseason awards among all schools in the conference. Flynn becomes the school's fourth WAC Freshman of the Year in its Division I era (since 2013-14), joining Kennedie Montoya (2015), Siripatsorn Patchana (2018) and Payton Fehringer (2019).

A native of Truckee, California, Flynn made an immediate impact for the Lopes during the fall season, earning a top-10 finish in her second collegiate event with a 3-under-par scorecard at the Colonel Wollenberg Ptarmigan Ram Classic. Her opening-round score of 65 tied the record for the lowest single round in school history, matching Alexis Linam's 65 in 2018-19.

For the season, Flynn totaled seven top-25 finishes, five of those in the top 10 and three of those in the top five. Her first top-five showing was the spring opener, the Jackrabbit Invitational, in which she tied for fourth at 1under to help lead the Lopes to a team victory.

Flynn placed fourth at the Fresno State Classic at 2 over par and tied for third with Strole at the Bobcat Spring Invitational at 2 over. In her first postseason tournament at the WAC Championship, Flynn tied for 19th at 13 over with four birdies in her final round as GCU had its best team score of the tournament.

Guerrero earned her second all-conference accolade as she garnered second team a season ago. Guerrero made the leap up to the No. 1 spot in the starting five and led the Lopes to six top-three finishes and two team victories this season.

After one top-25 finish during the fall season, the Huelva, Spain, native had a remarkable spring that included eight top-25 finishes with three in the top10 and two individual victories, tying for first in the Jackrabbit Invitational and winning the Bobcat Spring Invitational. Guerrero was named WAC Player of the Week following each victory.

Strole received her second All-WAC accolade as she was also named to the second team in 2021. Strole became a mainstay in the lineup during the spring season in which she totaled five top-25 finishes with two top-10 showings and a top-five placement. The Avondale, Arizona, product tied for third in the Bobcat Spring Invitational at 2 over and tied or 10th in the GCU Invitational with a 2under-par card.

Strole showed an ability to handle adversity in the WAC Championship. After shooting a second-round 85, she gained back 15 strokes with a final round score of 70, which tied for the lowest individual score at the WAC Championship. Her final day included three birdies and a 2-under score as she tied for 35th.

Tschetter earns her first all-conference honor as she tallied five top-25 showings with one top-10 finish. From Minot, North Dakota, Tschetter recorded a 6-over-par total to tie for 10th in the Bobcat Spring Invitational to aid GCU to the team win by 17 strokes.

Tschetter tied with Guerrero in the WAC Championship at 13th, totaling six birdies and an eagle. Tschetter's eagle on hole No. 5 in the final round was the only eagle of the tournament while her 2-under score on par-5 holes tied for sixth best in the field.

Luafalealo receives her second All-WAC award, totaling to her first team accolade in 2021. The Honolulu, Hawaii, native totaled four top-25 finishes with three top-10's and a victory at the home course of GCU Golf Course in Phoenix. Luafalealo shot an 8 under par and won the playoff hole to win the individual title, the first title of her career. She was honored by the conference for golfer of the week for her performance. Luafalealo also placed sixth in her home state of Hawaii at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, totaling six birdies on the final day for the top-10 finish.

The six awards are the most in a single season in the Division I era for the Lopes, surpassing the previous record of five set in 2018.

2023 WAC Women's Golf Season Awards

WAC Women's Golf Player of the Year
Zulaikah Nasser, Jr, Sam Houston

WAC Women's Golf Freshman of the Year
Ryan Flynn, Grand Canyon

WAC Women's Golf Coach of the Year
Jenna Young, Sam Houston

WAC All-Conference First Team
Hailey Loh, So, California Baptist
Ryan Flynn, Fr, Grand Canyon
Constanza Guerrero, Jr, Grand Canyon
Alison Gastelum, Sr, NM State
Leah Alberto, Sr, Sam Houston
Jenn David, Jr, Sam Houston
Jennifer Herbst, Jr, Sam Houston
Zulaikah Nasser, Jr, Sam Houston
Samantha Bruce, Sr, Seattle U

WAC All-Conference Second Team
Samantha Dizon, Fr, California Baptist
Carly Strole, Jr, Grand Canyon
Becca Tschetter, Jr, Grand Canyon
Lani Luafalealo, Jr, Grand Canyon
Emma Bunch, Fr, NM State
Kaylee Chen, Fr, NM State
Valentina Origel, Jr, NM State
Viera Permato Rosada, Jr, Sam Houston

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Ryan Flynn

Constanza Guerrero

Lani Luafalealo

Carly Strole

Becca Tschetter

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