2019-20 WGCA All-American Scholars

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- Kutztown University freshmen Olivia Donnini (Wapwallopen, Pa./Crestwood), Cecelia Knecht (North Charleston, S.C./Fort Dorchester) and Alexis Verdes (Oak Ridge, N.J./Jefferson Township) have been named 2019-20 All-American Scholars by the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA).

The trio met stringent academic standards that required honorees to carry a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA. A total of 1,401 women's collegiate golfers were recognized with the prestigious honor across programs of all classifications nationwide.

Donnini, from Wapwallopen, Pennsylvania, ranked second on the team in scoring average at 92.8 and shared the team lead with 10 rounds played in 2019-20. The political science major shot a season-low 82 in the second round of the Kutztown Fall Invitational, Sept. 30, to post her best tournament finish of the season (12th).

Knecht provided a major lift to a program decimated by graduation from the year prior. The native of North Charleston, South Carolina, collected three top 11 finishes in four tournaments, including a season-best eighth at the Kutztown Fall Invitational and 10th at the PSAC Championship. Knecht, who is majoring in molecular/micro/cell biology, topped Kutztown with an 86.4 average over 10 rounds and registered the team's lowest round of the season with a 78 in the opening round of the PSAC Championship.

Verdes played in six rounds during her first season with the Maroon and Gold. The business administration (marketing) major from Oak Ridge, New Jersey, had a best tournament finish of 22nd in the Kutztown Fall Invitational.

The three WGCA All-American Scholar selections tie a program single-season record for Kutztown and head coach Robert Fisher. The Golden Bears also had three student-athletes recognized following the 2017-18 academic year.