ROCK HILL, S.C. – Anderson University women's golfer Jessica Rathbone and men's golfer Reece Coleman have been named the South Atlantic Conference Women's Golfer and Men's Golfer of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office, Wednesday afternoon.
Rathbone, a junior from Montepelier, Va., made up a one-shot deficit on the final hole to force a playoff and won individual medalist honors eight days ago at Lee's City with Spirit Fall Classic by birdying the first tie-breaker. The nationally sixth-ranked Trojans moved up one spot and finished in second place among a field that included six teams in the latest Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Top 25. Rathbone matched the ninth-best 54-hole score in school history en route to her fourth career first-place finish.
A native of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Coleman has helped lead the Trojans to a No. 7 national ranking, three tournament titles in a season for the first time since 2003-04 and three consecutive tournament championships for the first time in program history. He narrowly missed out on capturing his third career title earlier this week at the Camden Collegiate after finishing alone in third place by just one stroke after trailing by four shots entering Tuesday's final round. He finished as runner-up at Columbus State last week, with his second-round 65 marking the third-lowest round in school history.
The bi-weekly award is awarded to the top golfer in the SAC based on their results from the previous two weeks of play.
The women's golf team will get back in action at North Georgia's 9th Annual LeeAnn Noble Memorial on Monday and Tuesday. The Nighthawks will host the tourney at the Achasta Golf Club in Dahlonega.
The men's squad will be looking for its fourth consecutive tournament championship when the Trojans co-host the McCoy Wright Currahee Collegiate Invitational, along with Erskine, Oct. 24-25, at the Currahee Club in Toccoa, Ga.
