SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - After the recent completion of the 2023 West Coast Conference Women's Golf Championship, the West Coast Conference announced their All-WCC team and major award winners on Monday morning.
 
For San Francisco, Riana Mission earns a spot on the prestigious All-WCC team for the second straight year while classmate Yvonne Shang also earned all-conference honors. Notably, these selections mark the second year in a row in which USF has had two student-athletes named to the all-conference team after Mission and Annika Borrelli made it in 2021-22. 
 
After making the NCAA Regionals as a true freshman last year, Mission followed up her strong first year on the Hilltop with another impressive year in 2022-23. Leading the charge in most lineups, the Las Vegas native finished as the top individual for USF four times, which included three top ten finishes. On Feb. 6 + 7, Mission dominated at The Valley Invitational with a (3-over-219/77,71,71) as she earned her first collegiate win as an individual in Bakersfield. Overall, the Dons also won this event as a team for the second straight year. Wrapping up her season in a big way, the sophomore finished fourth (1-under-215/69, 74,72) at the WCC Championship at Gold Mountain Golf Club as she finished in the top ten in the conference tournament for the second year in a row. Notably, Mission's low round of the year came when she shot a 68 (-4) in the second round of the Juli Inkster at Meadow Club Invitational on Mar. 6.
 
For Shang, the Fresno State transfer made a big impact in her first year on the Hilltop as she capped off the season with her best performance at the WCC Championship. Earning her way onto the All-WCC team, Shang tied for eighth overall ((3-over-219/71, 75, 73) in Bremerton as recorded her first top ten finish in the green and gold. Notably, the sophomore recorded the fourth-most birdies (10) overall in the field while also tallying 31 total pars.
 
The full 2022-23 All-WCC Women's Golf Team can be viewed below:
 
Player of the Year:
Lion Higo, Pepperdine
 
Coach Of The Year:
Laurie Gibbs, Pepperdine
 
Freshman Of The Year:
Grace Lee, Gonzaga
 
2022-23 All-WCC Women's Golf Team:
 

Name	Institution	Yr.
Lauren Gomez	Pepperdine	So.
Reese Guzman	Pepperdine	Sr.
Lion Higo	Pepperdine	Jr.
Cassie Kim	Gonzaga	Sr.
Grace Lee	Gonzaga	Fr.
Allysha Mae Mateo	BYU	Sr.
Riana Mission	San Francisco	So.
Kaleiya Romero	Pepperdine	Jr.
Yvonne Shang	San Francisco	So.
Jeneath Wong	Pepperdine	Fr.

 
CATCHING UP WITH COACH DOELL:
 On Riana Mission- "I am so excited for Riana that she played her way into the All-Conference team. Following up a phenomenal freshman year can be difficult and Riana did so with class and grace. Fighting sickness all fall, she still came out and averaged 74.4 in the first 4 events which was virtually the same as last year. This Spring, she came out strong winning her first college tournament at in fantastic fashion shooting 71 in the last round to win by a shot and lead the team to back-to-back wins at the Valley Invite. She followed it up with 2 more top 20 finishes and capping it off with a 4th place at WCC Championships which earned her a spot on the WCC team.
 
She has been striking the ball better than I have seen in our last few events but struggled with the putter and getting those birdies to drop. I know Riana is not completely satisfied with her year and she is hungry to get after it this summer and come back even stronger next fall. That drive to continue to be her best self is what will help her continue to vie for titles as we move forward!"
 
On Yvonne Shang-  "After transferring to our program this past year, Yvonne really impressed us from the beginning. Her ball striking and distance are what have made her so successful this year. And when she gets the putter going, you can't stop her!
 
While she did miss two events this spring to start with a small back injury, that gave her the drive and passion to keep fighting, earning her way back into the lineup and settled in as a solid #2 for us. Her score counted 85% of the time in the events she did play in and she continually improved as we went through the year. She played the entire conference championship with a nagging forearm injury and finished in the top ten ensuring her a spot on the All-Conference team. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our training staff, especially Rachel Shull, she was able to put herself in a position to succeed heading into the conference tournament.  
 
Yvonne has a dynamic personality and a drive to be the best and that has really taken her far and quite honestly, we have not come close to what she is capable of. She and I discussed after the conference championship that we really had her B+ game most of the year and she still had a great deal of success. I look forward to seeing what she can do in her junior year!"
 
For updates and more information on the University of San Francisco women's golf program, follow the Dons @USFDonsWGolf on Twitter, @USFDonsWGolf on Instagram and @USFDonsWGOLF on Facebook.