April 6, 2010

By Zach Stipe, Media Relations Graduate Assistant

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Currently in the midst of one of the greatest individual seasons in Tennessee women's golf history, sophomore Nathalie Mansson added her second Lady Vol Athlete of the Week award of 2009-10 to her résumé on Tuesday.

The Stockholm, Sweden, native captured the honor after tying her career-best score in relation to par with a 69-74-79=213 (-3) total at the Bryan National Collegiate in Brown Summitt, N.C., over the weekend.

Mansson finished runner-up in the tournament and led Tennessee to a tied for sixth-place team performance. She recorded 39 pars and 10 birdies at the three-day competition held at the Bryan Park Golf and Enrichment Center.

Her two days of sub-par play give her 12 par or better rounds this season - the fourth-most ever by a Lady Vol. Mansson's finish was also her fourth-straight in the top-10. Her seven top-10 placements in 2009-10 also rank fourth on the single-season charts.

In nine tournaments this season, Mansson leads the No. 13/15-ranked Lady Vols with a 72.96 stroke average and 75 birdies. With three tournaments remaining, she is within striking distance of the UT single-season stroke average record of 73.06 set by Young-A Yang in 2000-01.

In the final round of tournaments this season, the 2009 honorable mention Golfweek All-America selection has been particularly spectacular, tallying a 71.22 last-round average.

Mansson nabbed the LVAW honor earlier this season in October after winning the Tennessee-hosted Mercedes-Benz Women's Collegiate Championships in a playoff, while also shooting a 3-under 213.

That victory was the first of two consecutive team and individual tournament sweeps for the Lady Vols and Mansson, as they also finished atop the leaderboard at the Alamo Invitational to wrap up the fall schedule later that month.

The second-year star also earned the LVAW honor as a freshman after tying for third at the NCAA East Regional in May 2009.

Mansson and the rest of the Lady Vol golfers will be chasing more honors next week at the SEC Championship, from April 16-18, at the North River Country Club in Tuscaloosa, Ala.