April 26, 2010
By Leigh Torbin
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF junior Katie Detlefsen (Eagan, Minn.), freshman Valentina Fontaine (Santiago, Chile) and freshman Carolin Pinegger (Marquartstein, Germany) were all named to the women's golf All-Conference USA third team on Monday in a vote of the league's coaches.
UCF also had three individuals earn All-Conference USA recognition in both 2006 and 2008. Four Knights have never been so honored.
Detlefsen was also named to the C-USA All-Academic Team last week for the second consecutive year. She joins Abby Bools of East Carolina and Marissa Steen of Memphis as the three student-athletes to make both the academic and regular squads. Detlefsen earned her bachelor's degree in just two years with a 4.0 cumulative GPA and, as a junior, is all ready working towards a master's degree in mass communications.
The native Minnesotan had a tremendous improvement in 2009-10 where her 77.28 stroke average was well ahead of her 79.17 from 2008-09 and 80.65 from 2007-08. Detlefsen had the first five par-or-better rounds of her career this year and two top 10 finishes after having just one during her first two years combined. Detlefsen's 218 at the FIU/Pat Bradley Invitational in October tied for the fourth-best par-72 54-hole tournament score in school history. She also had a top 20 finish in February's Hurricane Invitational as the Knights claimed their first team title since 2002. She was UCF's top finisher at both the UCF Challenge and the Tiger/Wave Classic.
Freshmen Fontaine and Pinegger combined to place first for the Knights in eight of UCF's 11 events this year and reflect a strong future for UCF under head coach Courtney Trimble.
Fontaine led the team with a 76.79 stroke average, five par-or-better rounds and three top 10 finishes. She topped the Knights five times on the year, three times in the fall and twice in the spring. She was named the C-USA Golfer of the Week after her sizzling 211 lifted her to second place at the FIU/Pat Bradley Invitational on Oct. 26-27. The 211 set a school record for a par-72 course. She also tied for sixth overall, and led UCF, at October's the Eat A Peach Collegiate in Macon, Ga. and tied for both seventh place and the UCF lead at the Hurricane Invitational as the Knights claimed the team title in Miami Lakes.
Pinegger narrowly edged Detlefsen for second on the team with a 77.17 stroke average. She posted four par-or-better rounds, including a 67, and had a pair of top 20 finishes. Pinegger was named the Conference USA Golfer of the Week in February after her final round 69 lifted the Knights to their first tournament win since 2002 at the Hurricane Invitational in Miami Lakes. Overall, she tied Fontaine for the team lead and seventh place overall in the event with a 223. Pinegger also topped UCF at the season's final two events, SunTrust Gator Women's Invitational and Conference USA Championship where she tied for 12th overall.
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