VIDEO: Suzanne Strudwick Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman women's golf coach Suzanne Strudwick announced the addition of seven players to her team's 2020 signing class in this year's fall signing period.
This marks the largest signing class for Strudwick in her seven years at the helm of the program.
"It means a lot [to have this large of a signing class] and I think it goes very well for the school," Strudwick said. "They're not just coming to the golf team, they're coming to the school, so I'm really excited. I think it has a real sort of positive mindset of what the school is doing right."
The balanced class features three international students, three from East Tennessee and one from North Carolina.
Jordan Bouyoucas – Parrottsville, Tenn. – Homeschool
Playing with Pigeon Forge High School as a two-year starter, Bouyoucas has been a part of a Tiger's squad that won the 2019 Regional Championship after taking runner-up in both the 2019 District Championship and Sevier Country Championship in 2018 and 2019. She averaged a season stroke average of 41 and 42 in her junior and senior seasons, respectively, with a pair of top 20 finishes at the TSSAA State Tournament, including a top 10 finish in 2018 that gained her All-State Honors. Bouyoucas has been tabbed a 5 Star Preps second team selection in both of her years with the Tigers while gaining All-State Honors for her top. Individually, she was the Regional champion and Sevier County champion in 2019 after a runner-up showing in both tournaments in 2018. She added those finishes to runner-up performances at the 2018 and 2019 District Championships.
Ana Herrera – Mérida, Mexico – Madison International School Campus Country-Mérida
Herrera landed in the top-10 of the region with the Jaguars all throughout her freshman to junior year campaigns, her highest ranking coming as a junior in third-place. From 2018-19, she was ranked as the No. 20 player in the nation. Academically, Herrera sits in the top five of her class.
Aynsleigh Martin – Knoxville, Tenn. – Farragut High School
Martin finished in the top five of all of her high school matches throughout 2019 with a 78 while landing in the top 15 of each tournament she played in during. She has been a two-time All-District and All-Region selection while landing on the Prep Xtra Team and 5Star Preps first team in 2018. She landed in the top 20 at the State Tournament in 2019 and 2018 with ties for 11th and 18th, respectively. This past summer, the Knoxville, Tenn. native represented Tennessee and the United States at the Scotland Junior Golf Invitational. In her time with the Admirals, she was a part of the district championship team from 2016-19 and the region champions from 2017-19. The Admirals also brought in titles with the 2017-19 5 Star Preps, 2018 Cats and Dogs Invitational and 2019 Golf Capital Invitational while taking runners-up for Large Girls Class in 2017 and 2019. In the classroom, she was an All-State Academic Team pick for Large Girls Class and was a member of the National Honor Society since 2018.
Madeline McNeal – Soddy-Daisy, Tenn. – Soddy Daisy High School
McNeal heads to C-N with numerous top-10 finishes to her name throughout her time at Soddy Daisy High School. She took second at the Honors Course in the Chattanooga District Golf Association and the TSSAA district tournament while finishing fourth at the region. The three-time team MVP and Coaches' Award-winner for the Trojans was a part of a SDHS team that won the district in her junior and senior years with a third-place finish at the region tournament during her senior year. She was an All-District team selection in 2019 and was awarded the Spirit of Golf Award by the Sneds Tour in 2017.
Braelyn Pippin – Waxhaw, N.C. – Marvin Ridge High School
Pippin has been a dual-sport athlete at Marvin Ridge High School playing soccer and golf. She was elevated to the varsity team during her first year on the team before going on to win the team's Improved Player Award after cutting over 20 strokes in a short amount of time. A two-time All-Conference selection, she has been a part of a Mavericks squad that won a regional title and placed fourth at the state. She has been in the AB Honor Roll for her work in the classroom for three years.
Maddie Raine – Manchester, England – Holy Cross College, Woodhey High School
Raine comes to Mossy Creek by way of Holy Cross College. In 2019, she was the runner-up in the Lancashire Ladies' County Championship, won the Lancashire Elsie Corlett Trophy at Accrington Golf Club and finished fifth in the Lancashire County Junior Championships. The 2018 Woodhey High School graduate has played four sports prior to coming to C-N: golf, hockey, netball and rounders. Her high school career was marked by numerous successes, including competing at the 2018 English Women's Amateur Championship and the English Girls' Amateur Championship along with the 2017 Champion of Champions final at Woodhall Spa and English Girls National Championship. The two-time North West England Regional squad member has won several events over the years, including the junior championships at her home club of West Lancashire in 2018, the 2018 Gwen Tyson at West Lancashire on a level par round of 74 and the girls champion at the County Junior Championship where she carded rounds of 76 and 79 before winning in a sudden-death playoff. She made the finals weekend at the National Junior Team Knockout competition in 2018 where the West Lancashire team finished third in a 122-team field. Raine holds an unbeaten record for Lancashire County matches.
Alice Thomas – Mid Glamorgan, Wales – Hawthorn High School
While she has played golf, soccer, netball and field hockey, Thomas arrives at Carson-Newman with extensive time on the links in Glamorgan County and Welsh Schools tournaments. A two-time Glamorgan County Girls Champion, she has also been the 2016 and 2018 Radyr G.C Ladies champion along with the runner-up title at the 2018 Welsh Girls Championship. She has represented Welsh Schools in three different events against England, Scotland and Ireland. The 2019 outing against England resulted in victories in all three matches. Thomas was also named a Glamorgan Ladies first-team player in 2017. Off the course, she was the 2019-20 head girl at Hawthorn High School and received head teacher awards for excellence in Biology and Maths.
For the latest news and notes on the women's golf program, be sure to check back to cneagles.com and on Twitter via @CNathletics as the spring slate begins in February.
