Rylee Suttor, a junior from Centre College, was named the DIII Honda Athlete of the Year finalist for golf as announced today by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.

Suttor is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DIII Honda Athlete of the Year. This will be voted on at the end of the academic year by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of THE CWSA program, now in its 46th year.

“I owe this to my team, Centre College, and the athletic department,” said Suttor. “They have provided me opportunities both academically and athletically that I am forever grateful for. First, I want to thank my parents and family for believing in me and for sacrificing so much to allow me to play the sport I love. Second, I want to thank my amazing coach’s, coach wood, coach Jones, and my swing coach Jon Hardesty for their time commitment and ability to teach and guide me through this process. Finally, I want to thank my amazing teammates who are so talented and dedicated. I would not be where I am today without their support.”

Suttor was most recently named the 2022 DIII PING/Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Player of the Year and a DIII First Team All-American for the second year in a row. She is the first in program history to earn the Player of the Year honor.

Hailing from Shelbyville, Ky., the two-time Southern Athletic Association Women's Golfer of the Year has rewritten the program record books during her junior year. In eight regular season tournaments, Suttor has posted 13 rounds under par out of a possible 20. Of those 13 rounds, seven have been scores of under 70.

Suttor tied for the program low round score in her first tournament of the season with a 68 in the second round of the Transylvania Fall Invite, and then opened the spring season by setting the record outright with a 67 in the second round of the Savannah Invitational to win that tournament. Her 67 at Savannah is tied for the lowest round shot by a DIII player this season.

For the season, Suttor has four wins in eight tournament appearances (not including the NCAA Championships) and two more runner-up finishes. She is one of two players who has averaged an under par round this season, and her average score of 71.35 is the lowest in the nation.

“As I have said all year you aren’t going to outwork Rylee. Her hard work and determination is the reason why she’s a finalist for this prestigious award,” head coach Jane Hopkinson-Wood said. “Everything she has she’s earned. She’s a force in D3 golf and I’m excited to see what next year has in store for her.”

All Honda Sports nominees from DIII and DII become a finalist for the prestigious 2022 Honda Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented in a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 27, 2022, in downtown Los Angeles. The Honda Award finalists are recognized in 11 DIII and DII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.

The CWSA, entering its 46th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.  Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.  

About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility

For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda’s mission is to create products and services that improve the lives of people while conducting its business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Accordingly, Honda believes in helping people reach their life’s potential through its focus on the areas of education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety and community. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.