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Golfers acknowledged for classroom excellence

July 3, 2013
Top row, from left: Connie Ellett and Taylor Ellett. Bottom row, from left: Casey LaBarbera and Allie Parthie.

Top row, from left: Connie Ellett and Taylor Ellett.
Bottom row, from left: Casey LaBarbera and Allie Parthie.

Four Northern Illinois University women’s golfers were named to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association Division I All-American Scholar Team.

Senior Allie Parthie (Marinette, Wis./Marinette), sophomores Taylor Ellett (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) and Casey LaBarbera (Marinette, Wis./Marinette) and freshman Connie Ellett (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) joined 640 other women’s golfers on the team.

“It’s outstanding that we have four student-athletes on the All-American Scholar Team,” said NIU head coach Kim Kester. “It shows all the hard work they put in on the course and off it as well. Anytime you can get those types of honors, it’s awesome.”

A four-time All-American Scholar Team honoree, Parthie carries a 3.81 grade point average in biology.

She was the Huskies’ top golfer, finishing the season with a 79.5 average competing in all 10 events for NIU in 2012-13. She posted her best finish of the season at the Gary Freeman Invitational taking second with a 157. Her lowest score of the season, a 151, came in the season opener at the Green Bay Invitational.

LaBarbera earned All-American Scholar Team status for the season straight season.

A member of the 2013 Women’s Golf Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team, she carries a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average while pursuing her degree in biology. In her second season of collegiate golf, LaBarbera averaged 82.8 in 21 rounds of golf competing in all 10 tournaments for NIU.

Logo of the Women's Golf Coaches AssociationA native of Marinette, Wis., LaBarbera turned in the best performance of her career at the IPFW Spring Classic where she finished 13th after shooting a career-low 157, including a final round 77, also a career low. She finished 18th at the Gary Freeman invitational, carding a 169 and was the top finisher for the Huskies at the MAC Championships taking 29th after shooting a 245 (79-83-83).

Taylor Ellett maintains a 3.86 GPA in pre-elementary education and finished the season with an 82.6 scoring average. She participated in all 10 events for NIU in 2012-13, posting her best finish, sixth, at the Gary Freeman Invitational and her lowest score, a 158, at the Lady Bison Classic. Taylor Ellett was also a member of last year’s All-American Scholar Team.

Connie Ellett posted a 4.0 GPA and averaged 80.6 in 10 tournaments in her first year of college. A business major, Connie Ellett’s best finish came at the Cardinal Classic where she carded a 153, which was also her low score of the season.

To be selected to the WGCA All-American Scholar Team student-athletes must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 and compete in at least 50 percent of the school’s regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year.

For more information on NIU women’s golf and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.