Troy University Athletics
Barnes & Cano Earn Top Sun Belt Conference Women’s Golf Honors
4/25/2014 2:17:00 PM | Golf (W)
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NEW ORLEANS – Troy's Bart Barnes was named the Sun Belt Conference Women's Golf Coach of the Year and Fátima Fernández Cano was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, the league announced Friday afternoon. Cano was also named to the Sun Belt All-Conference First Team.
Barnes led Troy to the Sun Belt Conference title in his first season as the head coach of the women's program after four seasons as an assistant for both the men's and women's teams. It was Troy's first conference title in women's golf since the program was reinstated in 1993 into Division I.
"This is a huge honor because it was selected by my peers in the conference," Barnes said. "To get that kind of respect and confidence for the other coaches in the league is an acknowledgement that means a ton. I can't take too much of the credit as those young ladies put in a lot of hard work to get us to this point. Hard work and them believing in me is the reason why we are talking about this."
Cano won the Sun Belt Individual Championship after defeating Texas State's Mara Puisite on the first playoff hole at the Sun Belt Championship. The native of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, will carry a 75.76 stroke average into Troy's appearance in the NCAA Regional, which is the second-best average in school history.
"Early on it looked like she had the ability, competitive nature and wiliness to work and practice to get this point," Barnes said. "Between her work ethic, competitive desire and coachability, and not to mention the fact the she is a great student, you can't ask for much more as a coach. I'm proud that her hard work has been rewarded."
Cano has finished in the top 14 in seven of her nine tournaments this season and has five top-10 finishes. She fired a 2-over-par 218 at the Blue Raider Invitational – her third collegiate tournament – to finish in fourth place; it was the second-best 54-hole score in Troy history. Cano has five of Troy's top 54-hole scores and is responsible for five of Troy's top-12 rounds this year.
"I never really thought about any of this when I first got here. Everything that is happening right now is pretty awesome," Cano said. "My teammates are great. I'm learning so much from them and there is no way I could have done this without them."
The Trojans will host a viewing party for the NCAA Women's Golf Selection Show at the Brick Sports Bar at 4:30 p.m. Monday.
The selection show will air live on the Golf Channel at 5 p.m. and the Trojans will learn their destination for NCAA Regionals on May 8-10. Troy will play in either Tallahassee, Fla., Stillwater, Okla., or Suncadia, Wash., for the right to move on to the NCAA Championship in Tulsa, Okla.
The top eight teams from each 24-team NCAA Championship Regional will advance to play for the NCAA title May 20-23.
First Team All-Conference
Fátima Fernández Cano, Troy
Maria Palacios, Georgia State
Alison Knowles, UL Monroe
ara Puisite, Texas State
Lejan Lewthwaite, Texas State
Fátima Fernández Cano, Troy
Ellinor Haag, WKU
Second Team All-Conference
Sofia Berglund, UALR
Laura Sanchez, Georgia State
Lauren Court, Georgia State
Ashleigh Ryals, South Alabama
Lora Assad, Texas State
Iman Nordin, Texas State
Golfer of the Year
Alison Knowles, UL Monroe
Freshman of the Year
Fátima Fernández Cano, Troy
Coach of the Year
Bart Barnes, Troy
NEW ORLEANS – Troy's Bart Barnes was named the Sun Belt Conference Women's Golf Coach of the Year and Fátima Fernández Cano was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, the league announced Friday afternoon. Cano was also named to the Sun Belt All-Conference First Team.
Barnes led Troy to the Sun Belt Conference title in his first season as the head coach of the women's program after four seasons as an assistant for both the men's and women's teams. It was Troy's first conference title in women's golf since the program was reinstated in 1993 into Division I.
"This is a huge honor because it was selected by my peers in the conference," Barnes said. "To get that kind of respect and confidence for the other coaches in the league is an acknowledgement that means a ton. I can't take too much of the credit as those young ladies put in a lot of hard work to get us to this point. Hard work and them believing in me is the reason why we are talking about this."
Cano won the Sun Belt Individual Championship after defeating Texas State's Mara Puisite on the first playoff hole at the Sun Belt Championship. The native of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, will carry a 75.76 stroke average into Troy's appearance in the NCAA Regional, which is the second-best average in school history.
"Early on it looked like she had the ability, competitive nature and wiliness to work and practice to get this point," Barnes said. "Between her work ethic, competitive desire and coachability, and not to mention the fact the she is a great student, you can't ask for much more as a coach. I'm proud that her hard work has been rewarded."
Cano has finished in the top 14 in seven of her nine tournaments this season and has five top-10 finishes. She fired a 2-over-par 218 at the Blue Raider Invitational – her third collegiate tournament – to finish in fourth place; it was the second-best 54-hole score in Troy history. Cano has five of Troy's top 54-hole scores and is responsible for five of Troy's top-12 rounds this year.
"I never really thought about any of this when I first got here. Everything that is happening right now is pretty awesome," Cano said. "My teammates are great. I'm learning so much from them and there is no way I could have done this without them."
The Trojans will host a viewing party for the NCAA Women's Golf Selection Show at the Brick Sports Bar at 4:30 p.m. Monday.
The selection show will air live on the Golf Channel at 5 p.m. and the Trojans will learn their destination for NCAA Regionals on May 8-10. Troy will play in either Tallahassee, Fla., Stillwater, Okla., or Suncadia, Wash., for the right to move on to the NCAA Championship in Tulsa, Okla.
The top eight teams from each 24-team NCAA Championship Regional will advance to play for the NCAA title May 20-23.
First Team All-Conference
Fátima Fernández Cano, Troy
Maria Palacios, Georgia State
Alison Knowles, UL Monroe
ara Puisite, Texas State
Lejan Lewthwaite, Texas State
Fátima Fernández Cano, Troy
Ellinor Haag, WKU
Second Team All-Conference
Sofia Berglund, UALR
Laura Sanchez, Georgia State
Lauren Court, Georgia State
Ashleigh Ryals, South Alabama
Lora Assad, Texas State
Iman Nordin, Texas State
Golfer of the Year
Alison Knowles, UL Monroe
Freshman of the Year
Fátima Fernández Cano, Troy
Coach of the Year
Bart Barnes, Troy
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