From left: UT Dallas women’s golf team members Shreya Krishnan, Sofia Trevino, Maddy Vilven, Karen Lee, Karen Alvarez and Danielle Dimafelix celebrated after they won the American Southwest Conference Championship.

The University of Texas at Dallas women’s golf team dominated the 2023 American Southwest Conference (ASC) Championship with a record-setting performance to win its second title in three years on April 23 at Nutcracker Golf Club in Granbury, Texas.

The Comets, ranked No. 9 by Golfstat and No. 10 by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association in NCAA Division III, shattered the championship record for the 54-hole tournament by 38 strokes with a tally of 914.

Karen Alvarez became the program’s first individual medalist at the ASC Championship, leading four Comets who finished among the top nine golfers in the tournament. Karen Lee placed second, Sofia Trevino finished fourth, and Maddy Vilven tied with two other players for seventh place. Alvarez, Lee and Trevino earned All-Tournament honors.

With the win, UTD, under first-year head coach Cole Sondgeroth, earned the ASC’s automatic qualifier berth to the NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championship, which will begin May 9 at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.

National College Athlete Honor Society Scores New Chapter at UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas has been accepted into the National College Athlete Honor Society as the Texas Rho chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma (CAS), which recognizes student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and competition.

“Chi Alpha Sigma is a great fit for UT Dallas,” said UT Dallas associate athletic director Bill Petitt, who spearheaded the organization of the new chapter at UTD. “Being part of CAS is another opportunity for our student-athletes to be recognized for their hard work in the classroom. CAS also provides internships and postgraduate scholarship opportunities for our student-athletes.”

UTD is one of 12 new chapters chartered by the organization this spring.

To be inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, which was founded in 1996, a student-athlete must attend a four-year accredited college or university that is a member of the NCAA, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, United States Collegiate Athletic Association or National Christian College Athletic Association. The honoree also must achieve at least junior academic standing by the fifth semester or seventh quarter, as determined by the certifying institution, and must have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.

Marci Allison, associate athletic director for compliance and senior woman administrator, is advisor for the UT Dallas chapter. UTD plans to hold its first induction ceremony later this spring.

Bruce Unrue