SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Denver senior Clara Gestsdottir was named the 2025 Summit League Women’s Golfer of the Year, while Pioneers head coach Martha Richards earned her fourth straight Coach of the Year honor, the League announced Tuesday.

Gestsdottir captured league's highest individual honor following her second consecutive Summit League Championship MVP performance, becoming the first player to repeat as MVP since North Dakota State’s Amy Anderson, who earned the award three years in a row from 2010 to 2012.

Richards, now a perfect 4-for-4 in Coach of the Year selections since taking the helm at Denver, continued her dominant run by guiding the Pioneers to a sixth straight Summit League Championship title.

Gestsdottir ranked second among Summit League individuals this season with a 72.3 stroke average and collected All-Tournament and All-League First Team accolades for the third consecutive year. 

The Kopavogur, Iceland native successfully defended her individual title at the Summit League Championship at the Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz., finishing with a 209 (-4) total. She topped the field in par-4 scoring, ranked second in par-3 scoring, and tallied 10 birdies during the 54-hole event. Gestsdottir completed the season with 12 rounds of par or better across 24 competitive rounds, including in her final collegiate round when she led the Pioneers with an even-par 72 in round three at the NCAA Norman Regional.

Richards' squad posted a 54-hole team total of 859 (+7) to claim its sixth straight Summit League title and 10th overall, securing six of the 10 lowest 54-hole team tournament scores in league history.

Omaha junior Katie Ruge was selected as the Summit League Newcomer of the Year after tying for fifth at the Championship with rounds of 74-74-69.

Ruge paced the Mavericks with a 73.9 stroke average, recording five top-five finishes on the season, including two individual titles. She captured medalist honors at the MSU/Payne Stewart Memorial and the Loyola Parkinson Family Invitational. The Omaha, Neb., native helped lead the Mavericks to three team victories and recorded eight rounds of par or better during the season.

The three individual awards are voted on by the league's eight head coaches.

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