Rugola, Smithco Named to Valeo Horizon League All-Academic Team
5/15/2023 1:02:00 PM | Women's Golf, Academics
Youngstown State golfers Danae Rugola and Madie Smithco have been named to the 2023 Valeo Horizon League Women's Golf All-Academic Team for their combined performance on the course and in the classroom, the league office announced on Monday.
At least one Penguin has now been named to the Horizon League All-Academic Team in 10 of the last 11 seasons. YSU was one of two schools to have multiple selections on the league's all-academic team.
Rugola earns all-academic recognition for the second straight season to become the 11th player in program history to earn all-academic honors multiple times. The Uniontown, Pa., native is the first Penguin since Megan Creager (2018-19) to become a two-time member of the league's all-academic team. Rugola maintains a 4.00 GPA as an education major at Youngstown State. She has previously been named a WGCA All-American Scholar in 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Rugola was named Second-Team All-Horizon League for the second straight season in 2022-23. The senior competed in all 12 tournaments 24 rounds this past season with a 77.0 strokes-per-round average and a low round of 71. The Uniontown, Pa., native earned five top-five finishes and seven top-10 finishes during the 2022-23 season.
Smithco earns all-academic honors for the first time in her career. The Cranberry Township, Pa., native maintains a 4.00 GPA as an exercise science major at YSU. She was previously named a WGCA All-American Scholar in 2021-22.
Smithco competed in all 12 tournaments and 24 rounds this past season while averaging a career-best 77.1 strokes per round. She earned four top-10 finishes while firing a career-low round of 71 on two occasions. The junior earned medalist honors for the first time in her career at NKU's The Julie with a two-round score of 142 (71-71) on March 28. For her performance, Smithco was named Horizon League Golfer of the Week on March 30.
For the latest news and updates on the YSU women's golf program, follow @YSUWomensGolf on Twitter.
