RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced freshman
Morgan Becker as an All-GAC First-Team selection and
Josie Patterson as an All-GAC Honorable Mention selection at the league's banquet on Saturday afternoon. Patterson was also named an Elite Scholar Athlete for the second consecutive year.
Becker is the first Bison and freshman to land a spot on the GAC's First-Team in program history. She joins four others in OBU's DII era to notch a spot on the conference's end-of-the-year teams.
The list includes
Valentina Nunez-Butzonitch (2022),
Hayden Meiser (2021), Shannen Stewart (2019), and Michelle Carr (2018). All of which, were All-GAC Honorable Mention honorees.
Becker took the league by storm in her debut season on Bison Hill. She finished within the top 10 at three tournaments, including a win at the OBU Invitational on September 21.
The Southlake, Texas, native concluded the regular season with the best stroke average (76.30) on the team and posted four rounds even/under par. At the Newman Spring Invitational, Becker became the first Oklahoma Baptist women's golfer in school history (NAIA & DII) to shoot back-to-back rounds under par.
Becker's 70s at the tournament tied the school record for the lowest round, while her 4-under-par card led the Bison to its best finish (7-over-par) in program history.
To win the OBU Invitational, Becker opened with a 73 (+2) before firing a 1-over 72 to become the first freshman to claim top honors in the tournament's history.
Patterson was named an Elite Scholar after meeting the criteria of a 4.00 GPA with over 70 hours completed. This is the second Elite Scholar nod of her career. On the links, Patterson dialed up a tie for sixth place during the OBU Invitational as well as a tie for seventh at the Midwest Fall Classic back on Oct. 17-18. To date, Patterson has the second-best scoring average of all the Bison.
Oklahoma Baptist returns to the course on Sunday, April 23, for the GAC Championships in Hot Springs, Ark.
