Ledwein & Saban Earn MVC Scholar-Athlete Honors

Women's Golf 5/2/2019 10:07:00 AM

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- For the second consecutive year and the ninth time in program history Bradley Women's Golf had a pair of First-Team Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athletes with junior Taylor Ledwein and senior Frankie Saban both earning the honor according to an announcement by the league office Thursday.

Both Ledwein and Saban were All-MVC honorees this season after helping the Braves to a third-place finish at the conference championship. Saban is the 11th two-time First-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete selection in program history, garnering First-Team Valley Scholar-Athlete recognition last year and was an honorable mention MVC Scholar-Athlete as a sophomore, while Ledwein earned the honor for the first time in her career.

One of five three-time All-MVC performers in Bradley history, Ledwein is a marketing (global supply chain management) major with a 3.26 cumulative grade point average. This season she posted the second lowest stroke average in the MVC, with her 75.50 average ranking fifth among Bradley season marks in addition to ranking as the 21st lowest in league history.

Ledwein earned MVC Golfer of the Week twice in 2018-19 and is a five-time Valley Golfer of the Week pick during her three years. Owning five top-10 finishes in 2018-19, she finished fourth at this year's MVC Championship and placed in the top 10 in each of the last four tournaments. Ledwein ranks second in Bradley history with a 75.92 career stroke average and enters her senior season with 13 career top-10 finishes to rank sixth all-time at BU.

Ranking fourth in school history with 79 career sub-80 rounds, Ledwein fired a career-best 68 in the second round of the season-opening Golfweek Program Challenge in Pawley's Island, S.C., to tie the second lowest round by a Brave. This spring she posted a 74.29 stroke average.

A hospitality leadership major with a 3.88 cumulative grade point average, Saban is a two-time All-MVC performer. She was named MVC Golfer of the Week on Feb. 27 after a second-place finish at the Rio Verde Invitational. Saban ranked fifth in the MVC in 2018-19 with a 76.54 stroke average, which is 14th among Bradley season marks.

Owning three top-10 finishes and two top-20 showings in 2018-19, Saban fired a season-best 71 in the second round of the Johnie Imes Invitational in October and matched it in the final round of the Babs Steffens Collegiate this spring. She ranks ninth in Bradley history with 105 career rounds played, while her 77.83 career stroke average is sixth-best at BU.

Wrapping up her career seventh in program history with 69 career sub-80 rounds, Saban posted a 74.14 average this spring. She was recently named one of six nominees for Bradley's Charles Orsborn Award, given annually to a graduating senior student-athlete who combines athletic and academic success with community service.

Bradley Women's Golf has had at least one individual earn First-Team MVC scholar-athlete honors in a conference record 22 consecutive years. During the 22-year run, 16 Bradley student-athletes have garnered a total of 33 first-team scholar-athlete awards, eight better than Southern Illinois' 25 first-team scholar-athlete picks during that same stretch.

In fact, the Braves boast a total of 31 first-team scholar-athletes since the start of the 1999-2000 season, which is 10 more than any other MVC member over that span. Bradley is second all-time in MVC women's golf scholar-athlete selections (34), behind Southern Illinois' Valley record 35 and the Braves have 10 more Valley scholar-athlete picks than any other league member.

The criteria for the MVC scholar-athlete team parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for academic 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.

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Ledwein: Junior

Frankie Saban: Senior

Players Mentioned

Taylor Ledwein
: Junior

Frankie Saban
: Senior