MVC Release

Missouri State sophomore Abby Cavaiani has been named Missouri Valley Conference Women's Golfer of the Year in a vote of the league's coaches. The news comes on the heels of her being named the conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year back in April, shortly after the spring season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A sophomore from Wales, Wis., Cavaiani finished second in the MVC in scoring average with a school-record 74.29 mark and placed in the top 10 in all five of the Bears' fall events. They played seven in total before the remainder of the season was cancelled in mid-March. The conference medalist and Newcomer of the Year last season, Cavaiani posted a remarkably consistent campaign in 2019-20, with 15 of her 21 rounds at 74 or better. In the classroom, she carries a 3.99 GPA while majoring in Business.

She is the fourth Bear to earn league Golfer of the Year honors, following Sally Hinton (2007), Missy Linnens (2008) and Verena Gimmy (2018).

Cavaiani headlines a five-member all-conference squad that also includes Hannah Bermel of UNI, Becca Black of Illinois State, Taylor Ledwein of Bradley and Haeri Lee of Drake. The coaches voted Ayanna Habeel of Southern Illinois as the Valley's top newcomer.