April 26, 2006
TUCSON, Ariz. - Arizona State women's golf coach Melissa Luellen was named the Pac-10's Coach of the Year on Wednesday following her team's second-place finish at the 2006 Pac-10 Championships.
In voting done by Pac-10 coaches, Luellen was honored for a season in which she has led the Sun Devils to a No. 3 national ranking and nine top-five finishes.
"I would have rather won the Pac-10 trophy," said Luellen, who is in her fourth year at ASU. "It's a wonderful honor, though, to be recognized by your peers. I very much appreciate the recognition we got for all the hard work we put in. I want to thank my peers for recognizing what we have accomplished."
In addition to Luellen, four other Sun Devils were honored as part of the Pac-10's All-Conference Teams. Freshmen Azahara Munoz and Jennifer Osborn were both named to the All-Pac-10 First Team while senior Alissa Kuczka and junior Tiffany Tavee were both named All-Pac-10 Second Team.
Munoz (7) and Osborn (5) have combined for 12 top-10 finishes this year and were ranked No. 6 and No. 12 in the nation, respectively, coming into this week's play. Included in Munoz' finishes this season was a third-place showing at the Wildcat Invitational and a sixth-place finish at this week's Pac-10 Championships. Osborn has three top-five finishes to her credit this season.
Kuczka and Tavee have also been key performers this season in helping the Sun Devils ascend to their current No. 3 national ranking. Kuczka has posted three top-10 finishes this season, including a career-best second-place finish at this week's Pac-10 Championships. Tavee had the lowest round of any Sun Devil this year when she had a 66 in the first round of the PING/ASU Invitational. That score helped propel her to an eventual sixth-place finish in the tournament, one of three top-10 finishes on the year, including a tie for 10th place at this week's Pac-10 Championships.