Ashley HolderORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – With the fall portion of the collegiate golf season right around the corner, UCF freshman Maria Balcazar and senior Ashley Holder each received preseason accolades from Golfweek recently.
Maria BalcazarHolder was ranked No. 30 on Golfweek writer Lance Ringler's Preseason Top 30 players in the nation. Holder was the only golfer on the list who does not currently play at a Power 5 institution.
Meanwhile, Balcazar was mentioned by Golfweek's Kevin Casey in his preseason ranking of the top freshmen in women's collegiate golf. Casey ranked the top 11 and mentioned five others to watch, including Balcazar in that list. Of the 16 golfers mentioned, once again Balcazar was the only representative from a non-Power 5 team.
"Preseason honors are always exciting and get us looking forward to the year ahead," UCF head coach Emily Marron said. "Ashley has been a steady performer for us for the past three years. She has some high goals set for herself to achieve in her last season as a Knight. Maria is a very highly-touted junior player, who comes to UCF with valuable experience. I have no doubt that she will be a staple in our lineup and a big contributor to our success this season."
The Knights open the 2016-17 campaign Sept. 16-18 at the Mason Rudolph Championship in Nashville, Tenn.