UTEP women’s golf earns six WGCA All-American Scholar selections
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Six members of the UTEP women's golf team have been recognized for their achievements in the classroom and on the course, earning spots on the 2025-26 Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholar team.
The honor was announced Monday, July 13th and recognizes student-athletes who maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher while competing in at least 50 percent of their team's scheduled rounds through the conference championship.
Representing the Miners on this years team are Atikan Cherdchoo, Amelia Fridlund, Taline Kyoumjian, Nichapas Thawinwan, Paige Wood and Blanca Yrizar.
Freshman Atikan Cherdchoo earned the recogniztion after posting a perfect 4.00 GPA in psyhcology. The Thailand native competed in all 10 tournaments averaging 75.1 strokes per round and recording a career-best sixth-place finish at the BGSU Women's Intercollegiate.
Fellow teammate Amelia Fridlund, also made the list after maintaining a 3.77 GPA in criminal justice. The Karlskoga, Sweden native captured an individual title at the BGSU Intercollegiate, finishing at 3-under par with a career-low 69 in the final round.
Junior Taline Kyoumijan from France, earned the academic honor with a 3.56 GPA in criminal justice. She competed in six tournaments and posted a season-best 220 while playing as an individual at the Cowgirl Classic.
Sophomore Nichapas Thawinwan continued an impressive academic and athletic campaign. Already named to the Conference USA All-American Second Team and CSC Academic All-District Team, Thawinwan averaged 75.2 strokes in eight tournaments. Her second round 66 at the BGSU Women's intercollegiate tied for second lowest single round score in program history.
Graduate transfer Paige Wood also earned WGCA All-American Scholar honors after posting a 3.83 GPA in Leadership Studies. The McKinney, Texas native competed in five tournaments during her lone season with the Miners recording a season low 73 in the opening two rounds of the BGSU Women's Intercollegiate. Wood was recently hired as a weekend sports anchor at KVIA ABC-7.
Freshman Blanca Yrizar dominated her first year. Leading the team with a 74.3 scoring average while maintaining a perfect 4.00 GPA in business. From Spain, Blanca was the Miner's top finisher in five tournaments, recorded two top-10 finishes and fired a career-low 67 at the West Texas Classic.
UTEP Women's golf finished their season with the highest team GPA among all athletic programs at the university for the 2026 academic year. They also captured their first team win at the BGSU Intercollegiate tournament since 2019, making for a successful year both in the classroom and on the fairways.
