CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – The Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) announced the 2016-17 Division III student-athlete and coach awards at the NCAA Division III women's golf championships in Houston, Texas late Wednesday afternoon. Among those awarded was Bethel junior Christine Piwnica, who was named to the WGCA All-American Honorable Mention list.
 
Piwnica's All-American Honorable Mention recognition is in addition to her third consecutive All-Region honor. She's not only the first player in the history of Bethel women's golf to receive All-American Honorable Mention distinction, but she's also the first to earn All-Region accolades (and she's earned it three times).
 
During her junior campaign Piwnica averaged 76.5 strokes over the course of 16 rounds and eight events, which sets a new program record for average strokes in a single season. She averaged 80.0 strokes in 2015-16 and 79.3 strokes in 2014-15.
 
Piwnica, who just missed an at-large bid as an individual to the NCAA Division III women's golf tournament, finished among the Top 10 golfers in seven of the eight total contests this past fall and spring. Moreover, the Victoria, Minn., native finished among the Top 5 six times and was crowned medalist twice.
 
The Women's Golf Coaches Association, founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing women's collegiate golf coaches. The WGCA was formed to encourage the playing of college golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition. Today, the WGCA represents over 600 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.