Former Bobcat Coach Leslie Spalding MW Coach of the Year

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Leslie Spalding Named MW Coach of the Year


Leslie Spalding became the first Aztec to win MW Women's Golf Coach of the Year honors.
April 30, 2015

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - San Diego State head coach Leslie Spalding has been named 2014-15 Mountain West Women's Golf Coach of the Year, while junior Emma Henrikson (Malmö, Sweden), sophomore Sirene Blair and freshman Mila Chaves (Asunción, Paraguay) each garnered all-conference accolades as announced Thursday by the league office. Henrikson was a first-team all-MW honoree, while Blair and Chaves were second-team selections, giving the Scarlet and Black three all-conference picks for the third consecutive year.

Now in her fourth season, Spalding has guided the Aztecs to arguably their finest campaign in program history. SDSU has been ranked as high as 12th nationally in the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings and has posted six top-five finishes this year, including the team's first-ever MW Championship on April 22. In addition to their MW title, the Aztecs were also victorious at the season-opening Ptarmigan Ram Classic in Fort Collins, Colo., before successfully defending their crown at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown last October. Through eight events, SDSU has compiled a sparkling 82-31-2 head-to-head record for a .722 winning percentage.

A native of Billings, Mont., Spalding played on the LPGA Tour from 1996-2005, competing in 215 events with seven top-10 finishes. After a four-year stint as head coach at Montana State from 2007-11, Spalding arrived on Montezuma Mesa where she has led the Aztecs to 18 top-five placements, five event titles and four regional appearances. Individually, Spalding's players have earned 14 all-conference honors and collected seven weekly/monthly awards from the league.

Under Spalding's direction, Christine Wong became the first Aztec to garner MW Women's Golfer of the Year accolades in 2012, while Henrikson and Blair each received MW Freshman of the Year distinction in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

This season, Henrikson landed a spot on the all-MW first team for the third year in a row after leading the squad with a 73.42 stroke average to go with three top-five finishes, including a medal-winning performance at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic. The native Swede also tied for third at the highly competitive Betsy Rawls Invitational in Austin, Texas, and finished strong with a fourth-place showing at the conference championship. She is currently listed at No. 60 in the Golfstat Cup individual rankings.

Blair, meanwhile, picked up her second straight all-MW certificate after posting three top-five performances of her own during the 2014-15 campaign, including a runner-up finish at the Ram Classic, followed by a third-place tie at the Branch/McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. For her efforts, Blair was named MW Women's Golfer of the Month for September. She also received the league's weekly award in the spring on the strength of a gritty second-place showing during inclement weather at the Bruin Wave Invitational in March.

Not to be outdone, Chaves blossomed into one of the conference's elite golfers during her rookie campaign on The Mesa after leading the Aztecs in three tournaments this spring, including the MW Championship, where she set a league record for lowest opening-round score with a 6-under 66. The native Paraguayan tied for first in regulation at the tournament before falling on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Chaves, who ranks second on the team with a 73.83 stroke average this year, logged a pair of additional top-20 finishes, including a fifth-place showing at the Betsy Rawls Invite last October, following by an 18th-place tie at the UC Irvine Invitational in February.

San Diego State, which is currently ranked 25th nationally by Golfstat, will compete in the NCAA St. George Regional, scheduled for May 7-9 at the Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club in St. George, Utah.

2014-15 Mountain West Women's Golf Awards

Coach of the Year
Leslie Spalding, San Diego State

All-Mountain West
First-Team
Emma Henrikson, San Diego State
Harley Dubsky, UNLV
Dana Finkelstein, UNLV
Madchen Ly, Fresno State
Megan Osland, San José State

All-Mountain West
Second-Team
Sirene Blair, San Diego State
Mila Chaves, San Diego State
Regan De Guzman, San José State
My Leander, San José State
Genevieve Ling, Boise State
Manon Mollé, New Mexico

Golfer of the Year
Dana Finkelstein, UNLV

Freshman of the Year
Harley Dubsky, UNLV