CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – The Women’s Golf Coaches Association announced the 2020 Mark Laesch Award recipients on Monday afternoon. The award recognizes teams based on improvement in adjusted stroke average per individual per round from the 2018-19 season to the 2019-20 season. (denoted in parenthesis below).
 
Kentucky Wesleyan College (31.25) was the Division II recipient as the Panthers made great improvements during the 2019-20 season to earn the award for the first time. Additional award winners included the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (49.78) for Division I and Bluffton University (55.92) for Division III. 
 
"We are genuinely honored," said head coach Ken Badylak. "The players can always look at the Laesch Award and know their effort did not go unnoticed. Other than our academic achievements, this is the single most important award for our program because it justifies hard work."
 
The Panthers finished the shortened season with a 349.17 adjusted scoring average, over 30 shots better than the 2018-19 season. 
 
Samantha Yake led the Panthers with a team-best scoring average of 86. Scout Pope improved 10 strokes from the 2018-19 season to the 2019-20 season. Newcomers Erin Sexsmith and Maddie Zimmerman both finished the season with a scoring average of 87. 
 
The Panthers shot a team low round of 337 in the first round of the Battle at Frederica in October. 
 
Badylak has served as Kentucky Wesleyan’s Head Men’s and Women’s Golf Coach since the 2017-18 season. His men’s team finished second in the running for the 2019 Mark Laesch Award, as both the men’s and women’s golf programs have made substantial improvements since Badylak’s arrival. 
 
This marks the second time in three years a Great Midwest program has won the award as Malone women’s golf was the recipient following improvements in the 2017-18 season.