2021-22 Cal State LA Women's Golf – Season Summary

LOS ANGELES – Cal State LA's women's golf team continued its remarkable rise up the charts in a record-setting 2021-22 season.

The Golden Eagles, in just their fourth season of competition, soared in the national rankings and finished 2022 at No. 42, an incredible and rapid climb up from the No. 154 ranking they had at the start of the 2019-20 season.

The California Collegiate Athletic Association hadn't had a conference championship tournament since 2019 and the latest version became a showcase for the Golden Eagles. Cal State LA finished a distant sixth – and last – in 2019, but turned in an outstanding performance in 2022.

The Golden Eagles shocked the conference and led the three-day, 54-hole tournament after the opening round. Cal State LA went on to finish second overall and wound up painfully close to reaching the NCAA West Regionals.

Cal State LA also enjoyed a breakout season from Morgan Sjoerdsma, who led the tournament wire-to-wire and won the program's first-ever conference championship in a thrilling battle that came down to the final hole to decide. It was the first collegiate tournament victory for Sjoerdsma, who couldn't have picked a better time for her initial victory.

Sjoerdsma qualified for the NCAA West Regionals – becoming the first player in program history to advance to NCAA competition as an individual -- and had a fantastic showing, shooting an even-par score of 216 in the 54-hole tournament and finishing just two shots out of nationals. The player who earned that last spot wound up winning the national championship.

Sjoerdsma also earned Cal State LA's Billie Jean King Award as the Golden Eagles' top female athlete for 2021-22.
In addition to her great achievements on the course, Sjoerdsma earned several academic honors as well, becoming the first golfer in program history to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. After earning CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 honors for a second straight season, Sjoerdsma picked up third-team Academic All-America recognition and became only the 16^th student-athlete – and seventh female - from Cal State LA to earn Academic All-America honors.

Sjoerdsma also received the CCAA's Elite 13 Award for women's golf, which recognizes the academic and athletic achievement of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached competition at the Conference championship level while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers.

Sjoerdsma and teammate Marie Dean, who finished fifth at the CCAA Championships, became the first two Cal State LA golfers to earn CCAA All-Tournament honors. The pair also earned All-CCAA honors with Sjoerdsma earned first-team recognition and Dean receiving honorable mention. It was the second All-CCAA honor for each, with Dean earning first-team honors in 2019-20 and Sjoerdsma receiving honorable mention.

The Golden Eagles also got outstanding play throughout the season from Pratima Sherpa, Emily Wang, Caitlyn Jimenez and Caleigh Clark, who helped put the Golden Eagles on the national map. Sherpa was 18^th at the conference championships, Wang was 21^st and Jimenez was tied for 23^rd.

Clark, Dean and Jimenez graduated from Cal State LA in the spring.

Cal State LA Women's Golf
2021-22 Final Team National Ranking: 42 (Golfstat)
2021-22 Final Individual National Ranking: 25 Morgan Sjoerdsma
WGCA All-America: Morgan Sjoerdsma (honorable mention)
CCAA Finish: 2nd
CCAA Champion: Morgan Sjoerdsma
CCAA All-Tournament: Morgan Sjoerdsma, Marie Dean
All-CCAA: Morgan Sjoerdsma (1^st team), Marie Dean (honorable mention)
CCAA Elite 13 Award: Morgan Sjoerdsma
CoSIDA Academic All-America: Morgan Sjoerdsma (3^rd team)
CoSIDA Academic All-District 8: Morgan Sjoerdsma (1^st team)
WGCA All-American Scholar Team: Caitlyn Jimenez, Morgan Sjoerdsma, Emily Wang
CCAA Spring Honor Roll: Caleigh Clark, Caitlyn Jimenez, Issa Murguia, Pratima Sherpa, Morgan Sjoerdsma, Emily Wang
2021-22 CCAA All-Academic: Caitlyn Jimenez, Issa Murguia, Pratima Sherpa, Morgan Sjoerdsma, Emily Wang
Cal State LA Billie Jean King Female Athlete of the Year: Morgan Sjoerdsma