Junior Grace Honigford named to Women’s Academic All-America At-Large Second Team by College Sports Communicators
By Wes Mayberry
| 2022-23 CSC Women's Academic All-America At-Large Team (.pdf) |
ADA — Ohio Northern junior Grace Honigford (West Chester/Lakota East) was named to the 2022-23 NCAA Division III Women's Academic All-America At-Large Second Team by College Sports Communicators.
The honor comes after Honigford earned Academic All-District honors from CSC in May. She is one of 45 NCAA Division III student-athletes divided among First, Second and Third teams. The mechanical engineering major is one of 22 Division III honorees to boast a 4.0 GPA.
The Academic All-America Team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in athletic competition and in the classroom.
Honigford led the way for the ONU women's golf team all season, capping her year with a runner-up finish at the OACs for her third career All-OAC accolade. She shot a 313 at the OACs to break the school's 72-hole record of 325, set by Meagan Brennan in 2007, by 12 strokes. That was after she had already broken her own school record for 54 holes with a 231. Honigford has finished in the top two at the OAC Championships in all three of her seasons at ONU, as she was the 2021 tournament champion and was co-champion in 2022.
Honigford closed the season as a three-time Medalist with a team-best 78.8 average for 18 holes through 20 rounds of play, matching her single-season program record from 2021-22. She competed in 10 events and posted eight top-four finishes, shooting a season-best 73 at the Bluffton Spring Classic. A four-time OAC Golfer of the Week in 2022-23, Honigford earned Medalist honors at the Bluffton Fall Classic, DePauw (Ind.) Invitational and Bluffton Spring Classic and was a WGCA All-Great Lakes Region honoree. She was also part of the ONU lineup that set record-low team scores for 18, 36, 54 and 72 holes.
In her three seasons at ONU, Honigford is a two-time WGCA All-America Scholar and 10-time OAC Golfer of the Week selection with 32 top-10 finishes, including 15 Medalist honors, in 35 career tournaments with an average score of 78.9 over 59 rounds of play.
"What can you say about a young lady that not only excels on the golf course but also carries a 4.0 GPA in mechanical engineering," ONU women's golf head coach Chad Bucci said. "Grace is a true example that a student-athlete can excel in and out of the classroom and be the best."