ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Senior Danielle Lemek (Doniphan, Neb./Doniphan-Trumbull) earned First-Team Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete for the third consecutive year and was one of three Bradley women's golfers to receive Valley Scholar-Athlete honors according to an announcement by the league office.
Lemek, who is the sixth three-time First-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete in program history, was joined on the Valley's Scholar-Athlete team by fellow senior Allison Walsh (Mt. Prospect, Ill./Mt. Prospect) and sophomore Ally Scaccia (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect), who both earned honorable mention Valley Scholar-Athlete distinction.
Arguably the most decorated golfer in league history, Lemek is the only three-time MVC Golfer of the Year and was the ninth individual to earn All-MVC honors each of their four years. This season she was a three time MVC Golfer of the Week selection and capped her career with a conference record 19 MVC Golfer of the Week awards.
Lemek was third at the 2016 MVC Championship and finished in the top three at the Valley Championship three of her four seasons. She paced the Valley with a 74.09 stroke average, which ranked third among MVC season marks. Lemek placed in the top 10 in eight of 13 tournaments in 2015-16 and won medalist honors at the Bradley Invitational.
She finished her senior year with a school record 31 sub-80 rounds and wrapped up her Bradley career with school career records for rounds played (120), titles (10), top-10 finishes (31) and sub-80 rounds (111) in addition to owning a MVC career record 74.37 stroke average. A marketing major, Lemek owns a 3.35 cumulative grade point average.
Scaccia ranked second on the team and 12th in the MVC with a 76.74 stroke average in 2015-16. She missed earning All-Valley honors by one stroke at the MVC Championship, where placed sixth to earn one of her three top-10 finishes of 2015-16. One of four players in school history with 19 or more sub-80 rounds in two different seasons, Scaccia finished second at the season-opening Redbird Invitational.
An international business major with a 3.50 cumulative grade point average, Scaccia had a 76.50 stroke average during the fall and her season average of 76.74 is 11th among Bradley season marks. She matched a career-best with a two-under 70 in the second round of the MVC Championship and her career average of 77.32 would rank third in Bradley history.
Walsh earned honorable mention MVC Scholar-Athlete honors for the third consecutive year. She was fifth on the squad with a 79.91 stroke average and placed in top 10 in two events. Walsh wrapped up her Bradley career with a 76 in the final round of the MVC Championship, tying for 36th in the field.
Among Bradley's career top 10 in rounds played, Walsh is eighth all-time with 103 rounds in her career and finished her career tied for eighth with 46 career sub-80 rounds. In addition she is 18th all-time on The Hilltop with an 80.64 career stroke average. A studio art major, Walsh owns a 3.97 cumulative grade point average.
Bradley has had at least one individual earn First-Team MVC scholar-athlete honors in a conference record 19 consecutive years.
During the 19-year run, 13 Bradley student-athletes have garnered a total of 28 first-team scholar-athlete awards, seven better than Southern Illinois' 21 first-team scholar-athlete picks during that same stretch.
In fact, the Braves boast a total of 26 first-team scholar-athletes since the start of the 1999-2000 season, which is nine more than any other MVC member over that span. Bradley is second all-time in MVC women's golf scholar-athlete selections (29), behind Southern Illinois' Valley record 31 and the Braves have six more Valley scholar-athlete picks than any other league member.
The criteria for the MVC scholar-athlete team parallel the standards for the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-America® program. Nominees must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale), while the student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institutions and must have participated in at least 50 percent of her team's rounds or played at the MVC Championship.
