Michigan State University Athletics
Three Women’s Golfers Earn All-Big Ten Honors
4/29/2026 1:05:00 PM | Women's Golf
Balanzategui and Kehoe Tabbed Second Team, Kennedy Named Sportsmanship Honoree
East Lansing, Mich. – Three Michigan State women's golfers earned All-Big Ten Conference honors, the league announced on Monday afternoon.
Seniors Paula Balanzategui and Taylor Kehoe were among a group of 10 golfers selected to the All-Big Ten Second Team, while senior Shannon Kennedy was a recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Balanzategui, a four-year letterwinner for the Spartans, is second on the team with a 73.20 scoring average over 11 events and 30 rounds. She has posted two top-5 finishes, four among the top-10 and five among the top-20 this season while tying for the team lead in rounds counted at 89.7 percent (26-of-29). She has been the team's top finisher twice this season, including a second-place finish at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational with a 1-under par 215 and a tie for sixth place at the Briar's Creek Invitational with a 3-under par 141.
Her season average of 73.20 ranks as the 16th-best in a single season in program history. For her career, Balanzategui has played in 41 events and 118 rounds, carrying a four-year average of 74.37 that ranks 10th all-time in program history.
Kehoe, who has spent the last two years in East Lansing after transferring from Alabama, earns her second-straight all-conference honor as she was a second-team selection as a junior. This year, she leads the team with a 72.57 scoring average over 11 events and 30 rounds. She has two top-5 finishes, four among the top-10 and eight among the top-20 while tying with Balanzategui for the team lead in rounds counted toward the team total at 89.7 percent (26-of-29). She has been the team's top finisher six times, including her first career individual win when she shot a 6-under par 134 to help the Spartans to the team title at the Carolina Challenge Cup on April 4. Kehoe also was selected to the All-Big Ten Championship Tournament Team last week when she tied for fifth place at 3-over par 213.
Kehoe's 72.57 scoring average this season is tied for the ninth-best single-season in program history. Over the last two seasons at MSU, Kehoe has played in 21 events over 60 rounds and carries a 72.50 scoring average that ranks first all-time (minimum 60 rounds played).
Kennedy, a former walk-on, earns the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the second time in her career. The 2024 Michigan Women's Amateur Champion, Kennedy is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and has twice been named a Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar.
The Spartans, ranked No. 39 in the country in the latest NCAA Division I rankings, are coming off an eighth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships on April 26 and will await the announcement of the 2026 NCAA Regional selections on Wednesday, April 29 (4 p.m. ET, the Golf Channel).
Seniors Paula Balanzategui and Taylor Kehoe were among a group of 10 golfers selected to the All-Big Ten Second Team, while senior Shannon Kennedy was a recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Balanzategui, a four-year letterwinner for the Spartans, is second on the team with a 73.20 scoring average over 11 events and 30 rounds. She has posted two top-5 finishes, four among the top-10 and five among the top-20 this season while tying for the team lead in rounds counted at 89.7 percent (26-of-29). She has been the team's top finisher twice this season, including a second-place finish at the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational with a 1-under par 215 and a tie for sixth place at the Briar's Creek Invitational with a 3-under par 141.
Her season average of 73.20 ranks as the 16th-best in a single season in program history. For her career, Balanzategui has played in 41 events and 118 rounds, carrying a four-year average of 74.37 that ranks 10th all-time in program history.
Kehoe, who has spent the last two years in East Lansing after transferring from Alabama, earns her second-straight all-conference honor as she was a second-team selection as a junior. This year, she leads the team with a 72.57 scoring average over 11 events and 30 rounds. She has two top-5 finishes, four among the top-10 and eight among the top-20 while tying with Balanzategui for the team lead in rounds counted toward the team total at 89.7 percent (26-of-29). She has been the team's top finisher six times, including her first career individual win when she shot a 6-under par 134 to help the Spartans to the team title at the Carolina Challenge Cup on April 4. Kehoe also was selected to the All-Big Ten Championship Tournament Team last week when she tied for fifth place at 3-over par 213.
Kehoe's 72.57 scoring average this season is tied for the ninth-best single-season in program history. Over the last two seasons at MSU, Kehoe has played in 21 events over 60 rounds and carries a 72.50 scoring average that ranks first all-time (minimum 60 rounds played).
Kennedy, a former walk-on, earns the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the second time in her career. The 2024 Michigan Women's Amateur Champion, Kennedy is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and has twice been named a Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar.
The Spartans, ranked No. 39 in the country in the latest NCAA Division I rankings, are coming off an eighth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships on April 26 and will await the announcement of the 2026 NCAA Regional selections on Wednesday, April 29 (4 p.m. ET, the Golf Channel).
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