Saint Xavier's Kilbane Tops List of Award Winners For Second Consecutive Season

CHICAGO --- For the second year in a row, Saint Xavier University's Hannah Kilbane (Orland Park, Ill.) headlined the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference women's golf postseason honor roll when the league office announced its 2023 award recipients late Thursday afternoon.

Kilbane claimed her second straight CCAC Women's Golfer of the Year award after leading the seven-team conference with her 78.2 average.  She captured medalist honors at the CCAC Tournament after a one-hole playoff last month. 

Besides the CCAC Tournament, Kilbane captured three other meet titles in the spring and two in the fall.  In the fall, she shared the Governors State University Jaguars Fall Invite title and won the Olivet Nazarene University Bill Johnson Fall Invite.  In the spring, she claimed the Saddlebrook Spring Kickoff, the Olivet Nazarene Spring Invite and SXU's own Battle at the Creek.

The junior's best score during the campaign was her 74 recorded on the second day of the CCAC Fall Cup Preview this past October.

Kilbane was the only repeat selection on the five-member all-conference first team.  She was joined by Olivet Nazarene's Lizzie Howard (Dunlap, Ill.) and Alexandria Jones (Bloomington, Ill.) as well as Holy Cross College's Annika Johnson (Valparaiso, Ind.) and Trinity Christian College's Caitlyn Parrish (New Lenox, Ill.). 

Howard was also recognized by the conference as its Freshman of the Year.  The only rookie to make the all-league first team, she averaged an 84.64 during the regular season and recorded the lowest score among all first-year players at the CCAC Tournament.

Howard's top two performances during the season came in the fall when she placed second at both ONU's own Bill Johnson Invite and the CCAC Fall Cup Preview.  The latter event is where she also recorded her lowest score of the season, carding a 79.

Claiming CCAC Coach of the Year accolades was Judson University's John Wedell.  He was selected by a vote of his peers.

A total of 13 awards were presented on Thursday, which included a five-member all-conference second team. 

CCAC Tournament champion Saint Xavier and Olivet Nazarene tied for the league lead with three honors each.  The latter was the only school to have two first-team picks, while St. Ambrose University was the only program to have two players named to the second team.

Judson joined St. Ambrose in securing two awards.  Holy Cross, Trinity Christian and University of St. Francis each had one representative named to either the first or second team.

For the complete list of award winners, go to Awards.