Record Five Women’s Golfers Named To WGCA Scholar Athlete Team

TALLAHASSEE, Fla (seminoles.com) A school-record five players Cecilie Finne-Ipsen, Alice Hodge, Elle Johnson, Kaylah Williams and Amelia Williamson have been named to the 2022 WGCA Scholar Athlete Team. The five selections for the Seminoles breaks the record of four on the prestigious academic team (2018 and 2021) and marks the ninth consecutive year that at least one Florida State golfer has been named as a national academic standout.

Florida State led the ACC with five players honored on the WGCA Scholar Athlete Team.

Senior Cecile Finne-Ipsen was named to the team for the third time in her career (once at Florida State and twice as a standout student-athlete at UNC Charlotte) while Hodge, Johnson and Williamson were named to the team for the second time in their Careers and for the second consecutive year. Hodge, Johnson and Williamson are now members of a select group of 14 Florida State Golfers who have been named to the WGCA team multiple times. Williams was named to the team for the first time in her career.

Florida State earned a cumulative team GPA of 3.438 with three players (Hodge, Williams and Madison Hewlett) earning perfect 4.0 GPAs and two more (Finne-Ipsen, Johnson) earning academic Deans List honors. Two Seminoles Beatrice Wallin in Humanities and Williamson in Sport Management earned their Bachelors Degrees from Florida State University at the conclusion of the spring semester.

“This was a great year for our program,” said Head Coach Amy Bond. Each of the girls on our team did their work in the classroom and on the course. Its a standard that they all hold themselves to; doing well academically is what is expected of every Seminole. As a complement to our success in the classroom, they were also successful on the course. We won three tournament championships, won our second NCAA Regional Championship, advanced to Match Play in the NCAA Championships for the first time, and finished tied for fifth in national Championship standings.

Williamson, who earned a career-low 72.04 stroke average during the 2021-22 fall and spring seasons, earned a 3.625 grade point average as she earned her bachelors degree while preparing to lead the Seminoles into the NCAA Regional and Championship finals. She earned her first career individual Championship at the Florida State Match Up and finished in a tie for ninth place in leading the Seminoles to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional Championship. Williamson will return to anchor the Seminoles roster in 2023.

Academics has been of personal importance to me for as long as I can remember, said Williamson. My parents sacrificed a lot to send me to one of the best academic schools in the UK and ever since then I always wanted to get a degree. They never put pressure on me and expected specific grades, but I held high standards to myself. Earning my degree (from Florida State) means a lot to me. It gives me a solid foundation for life after pro golf. I grew as a person and gained knowledge from dedicating time and effort into earning my degree. I only wish I could do professional golf and more academics side by side.

Finne-Ipsen, who earned the academic honor from the WGCA for the third time in her career, will return to the Seminoles for the 2022-23 season as she earns her degree in Management. Through her four years as an accomplished scholar-athlete, Finne-Ipsen is just three grades (A-, A-, B) shy of a perfect 4.0 GPA for her entire career.

Academic success is quite important to me for multiple reasons, said Finne-Ipsen. My parents have always supported my golf 100 percent. Their only request for me was that I also earn a degree. They instilled in me that it’s never bad to have a plan B in case I was injured and couldn’t play anymore. Second, as a person. Im not one to do anything half-hearted when it comes to school. Another reason for me personally is to show myself that I am more than just a golfer; that I am capable of succeeding in other areas of my life.

A total of 25 different Seminole Golfers have been named to the WGCA Scholar Athlete team a total of 54 times (including Bond in 1998) since the Honor was established in 1991.

Seminoles On the WGCA Scholar Athlete Team
1996, Aguri Okura, Mabel Pascual del Pobil
1997, Sarah Capie, Aguri Okura
1998, Amy Bond, Sarah Capie
1999, Louise Wright
2000, Louise Wright
2001, Kristin Tamulis
2002 by Alison Curdt
2003, Alison Curdt, Caroline Larsson
2004, Alison Curdt, Caroline Larsson
2005, Whitney Brummett, Caroline Larsson, Kristin Sordel
2006, Whitney Brummett, Jaclyn Burch, Caroline Larsson
2007, Whitney Brummett, Jaclyn Burch, Caroline Westrup
2008, Whitney Brummett, Caroline Westrup
2009 by Caroline Westrup
2014 by Laure Castelain
2015, Kayla Jones, Kim Metraux, Morgane Metraux
2016, Kim Metraux, Morgane Metraux
2017, Amanda Doherty, Kim Metraux, Morgane Metraux
2018, Amanda Doherty, Kim Metraux, Morgane Metraux, Kathleen Sumner
2019, Amanda Doherty, Puk Lyng Thomsen
2020, Amanda Doherty, Puk Lyng Thomsen, Kathleen Sumner
2021, Alice Hodge, Elle Johnson, Taylor Roberts, Amelia Williamson
2022, Cecilie Finne-Ipsen, Alice Hodge, Elle Johnson, Kaylah Williams, Amelia Williamson