Cleary, Sambach earn All-ACC honors

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

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(© Kevin Carden – stock.adobe.com)

Virginia sophomore Jennifer Cleary (Wilmington, Del.) and freshman Amanda Sambach (Pinehurst, N.C.) have been named to the 15-member 2022 All-ACC team. It is the first time both players have received the honor. Sambach is the first Cavalier freshman to be named All-ACC since Beth Lillie in 2018.

Cleary currently leads UVA with a 72.75 stroke average and has posted four top-10 finishes this season. A total of 12 of her 24 rounds this season have been par-or-better and she leads the Cavaliers with five rounds in the 60s. She placed fourth at the Wolverine Invitational to open the season and later produced a fourth-place finish at The Landfall Tradition in her top tournament outings this year. She posted both her best single-round (-4, 68) and tournament score (-8, 208) at the UCF Challenge. Cleary is ranked No. 53 nationally in the latest Golfstat standings.

Sambach came to UVA with outstanding junior golf credentials and has been a consistent contributor on the collegiate circuit. She posted eight top-25 performances in nine total tournament showings this season. She was second on the UVA team with a 72.82 stroke average and had three top-10 finishes topped by her third-place showing at the ACC Championships. She was the highest finishing freshman in the field. Sambach is currently ranked the No. 45 player in the Golfstat individual rankings, which is the second-highest among all ACC freshmen.

Cleary and Sambach will compete with the Cavaliers at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional set for May 9-11 at the University of Michigan Golf Course.