BIG EAST Announces Women’s Golf All-Conference Teams
NEW YORK – Four of the 10 golfers named to the 2017 All-BIG EAST Teams in women’s golf are from Georgetown. The conference named a five-player first and second team prior to the BIG EAST Women’s Golf Championship Presented by Jeep April 21-23 at Callawassie Island, S.C. The selections were made by the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players.
The BIG EAST Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year will be announced after the BIG EAST Championship.
Georgetown’s Alexa Popowitz, Christina Parsells and Jacquelyn Eleey were chosen for the All-BIG EAST First Team, while Ashley Fitzgibbons was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
In addition to the Georgetown trio, Kirsty Beckwith of St. John’s and Mikayla Fitzpatrick of Xavier were selected All-BIG EAST First Team.
In addition to Georgetown’s Fitzgibbons, the All-BIG EAST Second Team includes a pair of golfers from defending league champion Seton Hall, Cassie Pantelas and Lizzie Win. Butler also has two second-team picks, Lauren Tibbets and Abby Gleixner.
Popowitz, a sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., is the highest ranked player by the Golfstat Player Head-to-Head Rankings going into this weekend’s BIG EAST Championship. She has three top-20 finishes this year and is coming off a win at the Hoya Invitational. Popowitz is the top Hoya returnee from last year’s Championship where she finished seventh and later was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
Parsells, a sophomore from Bernardsville, N.J., is an All-BIG EAST First Team honoree for a second straight year. She owns a 75.18 stroke average and three top-10 finishes in six tournaments. Eleey is third on the team in stroke average at 75.70 and has registered three top-5 finishes. The junior from Quincy, Mass., was the individual champion two seasons ago as a freshman when she earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors. Eleey has been an All-BIG EAST selection in all three years of her career.
St. John’s Beckwith has one win and three second-place finishes to date. The sophomore from Leeds, England, has compiled a 76.14 stroke average. Xavier’s Fitzpatrick has been playing in the top position in her freshman season, and has compiled a 76.46 stroke average. A freshman from Phoenix, Ariz., she has carded multiple rounds in the 60s.
On the second team, Tibbets and Gleixner have been the team leaders for Butler. A sophomore from Converse, Ind., Tibbets, an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection for a second straight season, has compiled a 77.33 stroke average and has put together six finishes in the top 5. Gleixner, a junior from Greenwood, Ind., has finished seventh or better in her four tournaments. Her stroke average is 77.78.
Georgetown’s Fitzgibbons, a freshman from Sammamish, Wash., has registered two top-10 finishes and a 76.73 stroke average.
Pantelas has been an anchor for Seton Hall’s success throughout her career. The junior from Canton, Ohio, has a 77.00 stroke average. As a freshman, she finished 11th in the BIG EAST Championship. Last year, when she also was an All-BIG EAST Second Team pick, she improved to fourth place. Pantelas is the top returning player in this year’s Championship. She has compiled eight top 10 finishes in her career. Win, a freshman from Loveland, Ohio, quickly has become a consistent performer for the Pirates. She has three top-10 finishes.
All-BIG EAST First Team
Jacquelyn Eleey, Georgetown, Jr., Quincy, Mass.
Christina Parsells, Georgetown, So., Bernardsville, N.J.
Alexa Popowitz, Georgetown, So., Boca Raton, Fla.
Kirsty Beckwith, St. John’s, So., Leeds, England
Mikayla Fitzpatrick, Xavier, Fr. Phoenix, Ariz.
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Abby Gleixner, Butler, Jr., Greenwood, Ind.
Lauren Tibbets, Butler, So., Converse, Ind.
Ashley Fitzgibbons, Georgetown, Fr., Sammamish, Wash.
Cassie Pantelas, Seton Hall, Jr., Canton, Ohio
Lizzie Win, Seton Hall, Fr., Loveland, Ohio