ST. LOUIS—Missouri Baptist Women's Golfer Carly Ferguson has been named the 2019-20 Academic All-America of the Year for the NAIA in the At-Large category. The award is presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Ferguson is the first student-athlete in MBU history to receive the honor.
 
Acknowledged as one of the most selective and prestigious awards in all of college athletics, the CoSIDA Academic All-America® program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performance on the field/court/course and in the classroom. The award carries a rich history with previous winners at the NCAA level including Peyton Manning, Maya Moore, and five-time Olympic Swimming Gold medalist Katie Ledecky.
 
The At-Large category is even more selective as nominations for schools are limited to four at-large candidates per gender, which includes the eligible women's sports of beach volleyball, bowling, crew/rowing, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis and water polo.
 
"This award means so much to me," Ferguson said. "It showcases how hard I worked in both academics and athletics. It is the icing on the cake to end my senior year at MBU."
 
Ferguson also earned First Team Academic All-American status, becoming just the second MBU athlete to be named a two-time Academic All-American. Ferguson was a Second Team selection in 2019 as a junior. She joins former Cross-Country/Track & Field standout Becca Starrett as MBU's only other two-time Academic All-American.
 
In the classroom, Ferguson maintained a perfect 4.04 GPA for the duration of her college career while majoring in MBU's Early Childhood/Elementary Education program, earning four-time Academic All-AMC and two-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete honors. She was also named to the AMC's Champion of Character team in 2019.
 
On the course, the native of Farmington, Mo. broke onto the scene in the spring of 2018 as a sophomore, winning for the first time at the Virginia McCoy Intercollegiate in Kansas City. As a junior, she earned her first AMC Golfer of the Week award and finished in the Top 20 in seven out of eight tournaments.
 
Before having her senior year cut short, Ferguson added to her Hall of Fame career with another dominant fall campaign. At the Crossroads of America Invitational in September, she won the individual title in impressive fashion. She set a new MBU 36-hole record with a 148 total and became the third player in MBU history to record multiple career victories.
 
"I could not be more proud of Carly and her accomplishments in the classroom and on the golf course," noted Head Women's Golf Coach Justin Hoagland. "This award is a great achievement and very well deserved. Carly has set a wonderful example for Missouri Baptist and all athletes with this accomplishment."
 
Ferguson will receive a special plaque of recognition at the 2020 MBU Athletics Hall of Fame banquet on Thursday, October 29 as part of the Homecoming Week festivities. Tickets for the event are available now at https://mbuspartans.universitytickets.com/.
 
For more information on the College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) and the Academic All-American program visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.