BERLIN- Stephen Decatur High School’s outstanding former scholar-athletes continued to pile up more accolades this week when 2006 graduate and girls’ golf standout Chelsea Betts was named an Academic All-American by the National Golf Coaches Association for the 2006-2007 season.
Betts, now a rising sophomore at High Point University in High Point, N.C. was one just 368 women’s college golfers in all three divisions across the country to garner the distinguished award, which recognizes her outstanding play on the golf course as well as her achievements in the classroom. Honorees must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 and compete in at least 50 percent of their team’s regularly scheduled matches for Division I players and 66 percent for players in Divisions II and III.
A 2006 graduate from Stephen Decatur, Betts became the first-ever female athlete from the Berlin school to gain an athletic scholarship to an NCAA Division I school in any sport when she signed on to play golf and go to school at High Point. She was outstanding in her high school career at Decatur and was approached by other colleges and universities before signing on with High Point.
Betts was a four-time district champion at Decatur from 2002-2005 and finished third in the state in 2003. She was also named All-Bayside Conference three times and was a Maryland State Championship qualifier in four consecutive seasons.
During her senior year at Decatur, Betts led the Seahawks to a state Class 1A/2A runner-up finish. She also played basketball and softball at Decatur and finished fifth in her class academically.
As a sophomore at High Point this year, Betts competed in four events including nine rounds and finished the season with an average score per round of 84. Her best round as a sophomore this year was an 80. In addition to being named Academic All-American, Betts was also named to the Big South Conference Presidential Honor Roll during the past academic year.
The National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA), founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing over 400 women’s golf coaches throughout the U.S. The NGCA was formed to encourage the playing of college golf for women in correlation to the general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition.