Women's Golf All-Region & Award Winners Recognized

The ICCAC announced the Division I Women's Golf All-Region Awards which included the 2023 Division I Player and Coach of the Year.

DMACC swept both awards with sophomore Ashley Michel winning Player of the Year and Chris Seaboch winning Coach of the Year.

Michel qualified for the national championship for the second consecutive year and helped led DMACC to a third-place finish in the Division II Plains District Championship. She finished in fifth place individually, four strokes behind fourth place. While being named Athlete of the Week several times this season, Michel has received first place medalist honors in five tournaments this year and finished top 5 in every tournament she's played in except one. Her average tournament scoring finished at 79.2.

Four other players were named to the First Team All-Region list after their finishes at the District Championships.

Madi Schlaepfer is currently ranked 22nd and finished top 5 seven times. As a sophomore, she has received ICCAC Athlete of the Week three times and has a scoring average of 77.27 per round. Schlaepfer placed third in district play and through this season has won three tournaments. She came out of the  District Championship finishing third, just two strokes behind the leader, her teammate, Baylie Pike.

Pyke won the 2023 NJCAA Plains District Championship with a 73 in each of her rounds. She shot her career best 72 on Day 2 of the Bulldog Invite hosted by Concordia University. On April 10, Pyke saw herself win her first event as a college athlete. Iowa Western would also take the victory in the Sand Creek Station. Later, Pike would also win the Bethany College Classic while three strokes ahead of the next golfer. She also tied for first in the Bent Tree Intercollegiate. 

Another Iowa Western Reiver made the first team, as Marley Richter performed well in her first season at IWCC. Richter tied for seventh at Districts while shooting a 77 in round 1 and 81 in round 2. In both the Bent Tree Intercollegiate and Bethany College Classic, Richter finished inside the top 10 at sixth place.

Abby Gaudian of Iowa Central rounded out the five on the First Team All-Region. Gaudian tied for eighth place in the district championship with a score of 158. She was just one stroke short of catching the next athlete in seventh place. Gaudian had 18 pars and three birdies while tying for the tournament lead with Pike by shooting a 1-over on the par-3s. She happened to place third at Iowa Central's own invitational as well.

The Region 11 Division II Women's Golf Coach of the Year award this year went to Seaboch of DMACC. DMACC rallied to a third place finish at the Plains District Tournament. During the year they finished inside the top 5 team at seven events and were the runner up at three meets, with the ICC Spring Invite being the most recent. 

Player of the Year: Ashley Michel, DMACC

Coach of the Year: Chris Seaboch, DMACC