Photo by: Princeton Athletic Communications
Rao & Duan Sweep Major Awards To Lead Women's Golf All-Ivy Selections
April 24, 2025 | Women's Golf
The 2025 Ivy League champions continued their run of good news with the announcement of the annual end of season Ivy League awards.
Junior Catherine Rao was named unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year, while first-year Tiger Olivia Duan was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Princeton's coaching staff of Erika DeSanty and Brennan Amirkhizi was named Coaching Staff of the Year.
Four Tigers were also named All-Ivy as Rao and Duan were unanimous first-team All-Ivy selections, joined by senior Victoria Liu to give the Tigers three of the six first-team All-Ivy honorees for 2025.
Rookie Abra Richmond was named second-team All-Ivy as Princeton tied its program record for most All-Ivy selection in a single season alongside the 1999, 2004, 2016 and 2017 teams.
Rao's selection as Ivy League Player of the Year follows her being named the 2023 Ivy League Rookie of the Year. She is the fifth player in Ivy League history to be named both ivy League Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in her career, and the second Tiger all-time alongside Victoria Liu who was Rookie of the Year in 2022 and Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024.
The Ivy League Player of the Year award has been handed out 15 times dating back to 2009, and a Princeton golfer has won the award seven times.
The first ever Ivy Leaguer named to the ANNIKA Award Watch List and a preseason All-American, Rao was twice named Ivy League Golfer of the Month this year. She has a stroke average of 70.1 this season, and has shot 70 or better in 12 of 21 rounds played this year. She started her year with a win at the Nittany Lion Invitational and added a second victory at the Columbia Classic this spring. In addition to her two wins, she added a runner-up finish at the Princeton Invitational and was third at the Ivy League Championship. All total, she was inside the Top-10 in six of seven starts this season and finished no worse than T14 in her seven tournaments.
Duan is the third Princeton golfer in the last four years to be named Ivy League Rookie of the Year, joining Liu (2022) and Rao (2023). A two-time Ivy League Golfer of the Month selection, Duan won the River Landing Classic in March, and was second at the Evie Odom and fourth at the Columbia Classic. Duan played in nine tournaments this season, and finished under par in four of them. Over 27 rounds played, she has a scoring average of 72.1
For DeSanty, the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year award marks the third time she has been named the Ivy League's top coach (2017, 2022). After the Tigers finished in sixth place at the Ivy League Championship in 2024, DeSanty has guided Princeton to three tournament titles during the 2024-25 season and a pair of runner-up finishes.
Liu, now a three-time first-team All-Ivy selection, won the Princeton Invitational this season giving her three career wins at her home tournament. She added a runner-up finish at River Landing and was fourth at the Ivy League Championship.
A second-team All-Ivy selection in her first collegiate season, Abra Richmond has a season-best finish in her debut event when she finished second at the Nittany Lion Invitational in September. She was also fifth at the Princeton Invitational and at the Ivy League Championship.
Up next for the Tigers is the Charlottesville Regional of the 2025 NCAA Championship May 5-7.
Junior Catherine Rao was named unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year, while first-year Tiger Olivia Duan was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Princeton's coaching staff of Erika DeSanty and Brennan Amirkhizi was named Coaching Staff of the Year.
Four Tigers were also named All-Ivy as Rao and Duan were unanimous first-team All-Ivy selections, joined by senior Victoria Liu to give the Tigers three of the six first-team All-Ivy honorees for 2025.
Rookie Abra Richmond was named second-team All-Ivy as Princeton tied its program record for most All-Ivy selection in a single season alongside the 1999, 2004, 2016 and 2017 teams.
Rao's selection as Ivy League Player of the Year follows her being named the 2023 Ivy League Rookie of the Year. She is the fifth player in Ivy League history to be named both ivy League Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in her career, and the second Tiger all-time alongside Victoria Liu who was Rookie of the Year in 2022 and Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024.
The Ivy League Player of the Year award has been handed out 15 times dating back to 2009, and a Princeton golfer has won the award seven times.
The first ever Ivy Leaguer named to the ANNIKA Award Watch List and a preseason All-American, Rao was twice named Ivy League Golfer of the Month this year. She has a stroke average of 70.1 this season, and has shot 70 or better in 12 of 21 rounds played this year. She started her year with a win at the Nittany Lion Invitational and added a second victory at the Columbia Classic this spring. In addition to her two wins, she added a runner-up finish at the Princeton Invitational and was third at the Ivy League Championship. All total, she was inside the Top-10 in six of seven starts this season and finished no worse than T14 in her seven tournaments.
Duan is the third Princeton golfer in the last four years to be named Ivy League Rookie of the Year, joining Liu (2022) and Rao (2023). A two-time Ivy League Golfer of the Month selection, Duan won the River Landing Classic in March, and was second at the Evie Odom and fourth at the Columbia Classic. Duan played in nine tournaments this season, and finished under par in four of them. Over 27 rounds played, she has a scoring average of 72.1
For DeSanty, the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year award marks the third time she has been named the Ivy League's top coach (2017, 2022). After the Tigers finished in sixth place at the Ivy League Championship in 2024, DeSanty has guided Princeton to three tournament titles during the 2024-25 season and a pair of runner-up finishes.
Liu, now a three-time first-team All-Ivy selection, won the Princeton Invitational this season giving her three career wins at her home tournament. She added a runner-up finish at River Landing and was fourth at the Ivy League Championship.
A second-team All-Ivy selection in her first collegiate season, Abra Richmond has a season-best finish in her debut event when she finished second at the Nittany Lion Invitational in September. She was also fifth at the Princeton Invitational and at the Ivy League Championship.
Up next for the Tigers is the Charlottesville Regional of the 2025 NCAA Championship May 5-7.
Players Mentioned
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