Oct. 19, 2006
Cullowhee, N.C. - Based upon their performances last month, the Southern Conference today named Western Carolina juniors Malin Fryk and Matt Cook its Women's and Men's Golfers of the Month for September.
Fryk posted three top-20 performances last month, leading the Catamounts to a trio of top three team finishes. The Trollhattan, Sweden native successfully defended her individual medalist honors at the season-opening Draper Valley Intercollegiate on Sept. 12. She fired a career-low round of 71 on the first day en route to a 54-hole total of 217 which ranks fourth on Western's all-time, three-round tournament leader board.
The following week, Fryk rallied to post an 11th-place finish at the Elon / Sea Trail Intercollegiate, leading the Catamounts to its second-straight, third-place team finish to open the fall season. On Sept. 30, Fryk tied her career mark in the opening round of the Wachovia-Great Smokies Intercollegiate helping lead the Catamounts to their fifth-consecutive team title at the tournament. In addition, WCU carded the second-lowest, 36-hole tournament score in school history at the Great Smokies (586).
Cook helped lead the Western Carolina men to a team title at the Elon / Sea Trail Intercollegiate on Sept. 24 and a top 10 finish at the Francis Marion / Raines Development Group Intercollegiate last month.
The junior from Murphy won individual medalist honors at the Elon / Sea Trail event with back-to-back rounds of 67. His 134 total set a Western school record for a 36-hole event (He broke that record with a 132 last weekend at the Frank Landrey Invitational in Lynchburg, Va.). Cook opened the season with rounds of 73-72-71 for a 54-hole score of 216 to place seventh, including the highest Southern Conference finisher in the field, at the Francis Marion/Raines Development Group Intercollegiate back on Sept. 19.
Both Fryk and Cook stand atop their respective Western career stroke averages with Fryk currently averaging 75.65 while Cook is at 71.91.
The women's golf team is back in action this Friday through Sunday at the Lady Pirate Invitational hosted by East Carolina at the Bradford Creek Golf Course in Greenville. The Catamounts finished tied for fifth in last year's event, shooting a school-record round of 284 on the opening day. WCU has played in the tournament a total of six times with an average finish of seventh. The Catamounts earned their best-ever finish in 2002-03 when they finished as the team runner-up to the host Pirates.
The men's golf team is off until next weekend (Oct. 30-31) when it travels to Charleston, S.C., for the Charleston Southern Invitational at the Crowfield Plantation Country Club.
