Golfer Kiira Riihijarvi Becomes Program's First All-SSC Selection

MELBOURNE, Fla. - University of Tampa golfer Kiira Riihijarvi is among 10 student-athletes who have been named the 2018 Sunshine State Conference women's golf all-conference teams. Tilda Larsson of Barry University earns her second Golfer of the Year accolade, Florida Southern College's Ashley Zagers is awarded Freshman of the Year, and Heather Wall of Nova Southeastern University is honored as Coach of the Year.

Ahead of competing in her second consecutive NCAA South Super Regional, the sophomore from Oulu, Finland, is coming off another record-setting season as she becomes the first player in program history to earn a spot on the all-conference team. Playing in 10 tournaments in 2017-18, Riihijarvi is shooting an average of 75.46. She has three top-10 performances, including being the top performer at the Saint Leo Invitational on October 16-17. She has twice shot a season-best round of 69, coming at the Saint Leo Invitational and the World Golf Invitational. She also broke her own school record for single-season average and remains atop the career record book with a two-year average of 75.88.

Voting for the All-SSC Women's Golf Team was conducted among the league's women's golf coaches.

SSC Women's Golf All-Conference History: All-SSC Teams | Golfers & Coaches of the Year

Larsson, a junior from Emmaboda, Sweden, is named Golfer of the Year for the second time in her career. She finished Top-4 in eight tournaments this season, including four individual wins and a runner-up performance in the SSC championship. Larsson remains the only Buccaneer to win SSC Golfer of the Year.  She becomes the sixth to receive the SSC Women's Golfer of the Year award twice¹ and the fifth to win both Golfer and Freshman of the Year in her career².

Zagers earns Freshman of the Year honors following four Top-10 performances in 2017-18. The Oldsmar, Florida product averaged 76.32 strokes per round across her 25 rounds this season. Her top finish of the year was third place at the Newberry College Regional Preview in October. Zagers is the second Florida Southern women's golfer to win Freshman of the Year³.

Wall is selected SSC Coach of the Year by her peers. Under her leadership, the No. 1 ranked Sharks squad tallied eight team victories, including the SSC Championship, and finished no lower than third during the 2017-18 season. Wall brings the SSC Women's Golf Coach of the Year honor back to Nova Southeastern for the first time since 2011⁴.

Larsson highlights the repeat All-SSC winners for 2018 as she takes home First Team accolades for the third consecutive year. Nova Southeastern's Michelle Ruiz and Saint Leo University's Amanda Jakobsson also repeat. Ruiz moves up to First Team after being selected Second Team in 2017, while Jakobsson repeats as a Second Team honoree from last year and was Honorable Mention in 2016.

Golfer of the Year: Tilda Larsson, Barry
Freshman of the Year: Ashley Zagers, Florida Southern
Coach of the Year: Heather Wall, Nova Southeastern

* = 2017 All-SSC First Team
‡ = 2017 All-SSC Second Team
% = 2016 Golfer of the Year
~ = 2016 All-SSC First Team
# = 2016 All-SSC Honorable Mention
! = 2016 All-SSC Freshman of the Year

¹ Marie Coors (2016-17), Jessica Bradley, Lynn (2014-15), Sandra Changkija, Nova Southeastern (2010-11), Charlotte Campbell, Rollins (2004,2006), and Jennifer Beames, Rollins (2000, 2003) have all been named Golfer of the Year twice.
²Maria Garcia-Austt (Nova Southeastern), Sandra Changkija (Nova Southeastern), Abbey Gittings (Nova Southeastern), and Linnea Johansson (Nova Southeastern) have all been named Golfer and Freshman of the Year in their SSC careers.
³ FSC's Silvie Dittertova was named Freshman of the Year in 2009.
⁴ NSU's Kevin Marsh was named Coach of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011        
⁵ Riihijarvi is the first women's golfer from Tampa to receive All-SSC honors.