The Loop

Mid-season awards: Player you'll know by season's end

November 24, 2009

Past winner's of this award include Washington's Nick Taylor, Denver's__Stephanie Sherlock__, Georgia State's__Joel Sjoholm__ and New Mexico's Jodi Ewart. The International theme continues this year.

__BEST PLAYER YOU'LL KNOW ABOUT BY SEASON'S END

MEN

__[#image: /photos/55ad71d0add713143b4233b3]|||Nils Floren.jpeg|||

Nils Floren, Texas Tech

The native of Ljungskile, Sweden has quietly improved throughout his two-plus years in Waco, dropping his stroke average from 75.44 as a freshman to 72.88 as a sophomore. During this past summer he showed his progress by advancing to the quarterfinals of the British Amateur. Come September, he kicked off his junior season with a share of the individual title at the Carpet Capital Classic before following it up with a T-13 at the Gary Koch and a T-3 at the Isleworth Collegiate.

Entering winter break, Floren had a 70.89 average and continued a streak of having his score count toward the Red Raiders' team total in 37 straight rounds, dating back to the fall of 2007. This season, his MO has been getting off to a quick start, as he sports a 69.33 first-round average.

*Honorable mention: David Lingmerth, Arkansas

*Made a solid impression at last year's NCAA Championship, winning two matches for the runner-up Razorbacks including his championship-match tilt. The Swedish native (by way of West Florida) then reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur in August before returning to Fayettville for his senior year and posting three top-five finishes and a 70.77 stroke average.

__WOMEN

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The Spaniard made an impression a year ago as a freshman, claiming the SEC individual title en route to earning honorable mention All-American honors. Half way through her sophomore season, she's shown her early play was no fluke, winning at the Duramed Cougar Classic and the Eat A Peach Collegiate to run her college victory total to four in her last 11 starts. She's also dropped her scoring average by  1.61 strokes from this fall (72.0) to last spring.

*Honorable mention: Nathalie Mansson, Tennessee

*The Swede had the best freshman season in Lady Vol history a year ago, then continued her fine play this fall, closing out the semester in style with wins at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate and The Alamo Invitational.