Horizon League Unveils 2024 #HLGOLF Awards

April 25

Rachel White

INDIANAPOLIS (April 25, 2024) – The Horizon League revealed our 2024 #HLGOLF awards on Thursday. All awards were voted on by the League’s head coaches.

Wright State’s Mikkel Mathiesen and Oakland’s Bridget Boczar collected Golfer of the Year honors. WSU’s Timmy Hollenbeck and Youngstown State’s Neeranuch Prajunpanich earned Freshman of the Year recognition while Purdue Fort Wayne’s Hunter Mefford and Anna Olafsdottir and IUPUI’s Kevin Tillery are our Sportsmanship Award winners. Wright State’s Conner Lash and Oakland’s Sarah Burnham were selected Coaches of the Year after leading their teams to titles earlier this week.

Dig Deeper:

Mathiesen finished fourth at the #HLGOLF Championship and earns All-League honors for the fourth consecutive season.
- The graduate student won The Jewell earlier this month and posted his best round of the season (64) at Iowa’s ANF Fall Classic.
- Wright State has collected three straight Men’s Golfer of the Year honors.
Boczar earned individual medalist honors at the #HLGOLF Championship, shooting 227 for the three rounds.
- The sophomore collected her second First Team honor and first Golfer of the Year award after winning Freshman of the Year last season.
- Boczar won Central Michigan's A-Ga-Ming Invite and finished runner-up at Eastern Michigan's invite earlier this season.
Hollenbeck finished second at his first #HLGOLF Championship, falling to teammate Andrew Flynn in a playoff for medalist honors.
- The rookie is WSU’s second consecutive Freshman of the Year following Shane Ochs in 2023.
- Hollenbeck also tied for first and lost in a playoff at the Wright State Invitational earlier this month.
Prajunpanich placed second at the #HLGOLF championship, leading the Penguins to a runner-up finish.
- The freshman earned medalist honors at Niagara’s Purple Eagles Invitational with a three-round score of 221.
- Prajunpanich is the fourth YSU women’s golfer to win Freshman of the Year since 2016.
Lash collects his second Coach of the Year honor after his second #HLGOLF title for the Raiders.
- WSU secured the team title by 18 shots earlier this week and will represent the League at NCAA Regionals.
Burnham wins her first Coach of the Year award following Oakland’s #HLGOLF championship victory on Monday.
- Burnham is in her second season leading the Golden Grizzlies.
- Oakland will travel to East Lansing, Mich. for NCAA Regionals.
The Sportsmanship Award recognizes student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. Sportsmanship is defined as behavior exhibited during competition by student-athletes based on values, respect and integrity.
- Olafsdottir demonstrated incredible sportsmanship at the Brittany Kelly Classic this fall, calling a penalty on herself after she realized that she had unintentionally signed for a lower score, despite knowing she would be disqualified.
- Tillery and Mefford are known as individuals who are pleasant to be paired with at events and are supportive of both teammates and competitors out on the course.
Wright State totaled four All-League selections to lead the men’s teams while Oakland and Youngstown State paced the women’s teams with three All-League honorees.
Purdue Fort Wayne’s Kasey Lilly has won All-League First Team honors in four consecutive seasons.

2024 #HLGOLF Awards

Men’s Golfer of the Year: Mikkel Mathiesen, Wright State

Women’s Golfer of the Year: Bridget Boczar, Oakland

Men’s Golf Freshman of the Year: Timmy Hollenbeck, Wright State

Women’s Golf Freshman of the Year: Neeranuch Prajunpanich, Youngstown State

Men’s Golf Coach of the Year: Conner Lash, Wright State

Women’s Golf Coach of the Year: Sarah Burnham, Oakland

Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Awards: Kevin Tillery, IUPUI & Hunter Mefford, Purdue Fort Wayne

Women’s Golf Sportsmanship Award: Anna Olafsdottir, Purdue Fort Wayne

Men’s Golf All-League First Team
Taylor Gardner, IUPUI
Kasey Lilly, Purdue Fort Wayne
Andrew Flynn, Wright State
Mikkel Mathiesen, Wright State
Shane Ochs, Wright State

Women’s Golf All-League First Team
Annaliese Fox, IUPUI
Bridget Boczar, Oakland
Hannah Kono, Oakland
Neeranuch Prajunpanich, Youngstown State
Madie Smithco, Youngstown State

Men’s Golf All-League Second Team
Brody Simms, Cleveland State
Robert Burns, Oakland
Josh Nagy, RMU
Adam Horn, Wright State
Justin Atkinson, Youngstown State

Women’s Golf All-League Second Team
Ariel Chang, Detroit Mercy
Shelby Busker, IUPUI
Olivia Hemmila, Oakland
Olivia Jang, Purdue Fort Wayne
Anna Olafsdottir, Purdue Fort Wayne
Lizzie Saur, Youngstown State

Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Award Finalists
Andrew Kaye, Cleveland State
Kevin Tillery, IUPUI*
Mitch Lowney, Oakland
Hunter Mefford, Purdue Fort Wayne*
Logan Hess, RMU
Andrew Flynn, Wright State

Women’s Golf Sportsmanship Award Finalists
Olivia Swain, Cleveland State
Taylor Kondel, Detroit Mercy
Allyson Stuckey, IUPUI
Lily Bargamian, Oakland
Anna Olafsdottir, Purdue Fort Wayne*
Titita Loudtragulngam, Youngstown State