Geer-Park and Plata Earn WGCA All-America Honors
4/21/2020 3:32:00 PM | Women's Golf
EAST LANSING – Michigan State's Allyson Geer-Park and Valery Plata have both been named to the Women's Golf Coaches Association All-America honorable mention teams, the organization announced on Tuesday (April 21). It's the second time Geer-Park has been named to the WGCA All-America honorable mention team, while it's the first such honor for Plata.
Complete list of WGCA All-Americans
Geer-Park, who last garnered All-America honors in 2018, tied for second on the team this season with a 72.39 scoring average – which is the fourth-best single-season scoring average in program history. She ended her career with the best career average in program history at 72.81. The senior from Brighton had three top 10 finishes – including a pair of sixth-place finishes - in the shortened 2019-20 season and placed in the top 12 in five of the Spartans' six tournaments.
Both Geer-Park and Plata played a significant role in the Spartans' win at the prestigious Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational in October. Geer-Park shot the lowest score of her career in the second round – 66. For Plata, it was her first career individual title as she carded the second-lowest 54-hole score in school history – 205 – to top a talent-laden field.
Plata, who is a native of Floridablanca, Colombia, cut nearly three strokes off her scoring average in 2019-20, finishing the year at 72.5. Her win at the Tar Heel Invitational included three rounds in the 60s – 69, 68 and 68. The sophomore also had a second-place finish in the fall of 2019, finishing as the runner-up at the home Mary Fossum Invitational.
In total, the duo helped Michigan State finish in the top three in five of six tournaments in 2019-20 and end the year ranked No. 16.
This year marks the second time MSU has had two All-America selections in the same season as Geer-Park and Sarah Burnham (second team) both garnered the accolade in 2018.
Complete list of WGCA All-Americans
Geer-Park, who last garnered All-America honors in 2018, tied for second on the team this season with a 72.39 scoring average – which is the fourth-best single-season scoring average in program history. She ended her career with the best career average in program history at 72.81. The senior from Brighton had three top 10 finishes – including a pair of sixth-place finishes - in the shortened 2019-20 season and placed in the top 12 in five of the Spartans' six tournaments.
Both Geer-Park and Plata played a significant role in the Spartans' win at the prestigious Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational in October. Geer-Park shot the lowest score of her career in the second round – 66. For Plata, it was her first career individual title as she carded the second-lowest 54-hole score in school history – 205 – to top a talent-laden field.
Plata, who is a native of Floridablanca, Colombia, cut nearly three strokes off her scoring average in 2019-20, finishing the year at 72.5. Her win at the Tar Heel Invitational included three rounds in the 60s – 69, 68 and 68. The sophomore also had a second-place finish in the fall of 2019, finishing as the runner-up at the home Mary Fossum Invitational.
In total, the duo helped Michigan State finish in the top three in five of six tournaments in 2019-20 and end the year ranked No. 16.
This year marks the second time MSU has had two All-America selections in the same season as Geer-Park and Sarah Burnham (second team) both garnered the accolade in 2018.
Players Mentioned
Never Playing Alone | Spartans All-Access
Tuesday, May 20
Moving in the Right Direction | Spartans All-Access
Monday, February 10
Day in the Life with Women's Golf | Spartans All-Access
Tuesday, October 01
Michgan State Women's Golf at NCAA Championships | Cinematic Highlight | May 17-19,2024
Tuesday, May 21