HELENA, Mont. -- The Frontier Conference bestowed its A.O. Duer Scholarship Award nomination on Montana Tech women's golfer Emma Woods, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon. 

Woods, a biological sciences major from Fairfield, made history for the Orediggers as the first-ever tournament medalist for the women's golf program earlier this spring and became the team's first-ever Frontier Conference Player of the Week for her effort. Later in April, the junior played to a tie for third at the Frontier/CalPac NAIA Qualifier in April to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. 

As the conference's female Duer Award nominee, she becomes eligible for the NAIA's national award. The A.O. Duer Scholarship Award is presented to two outstanding junior student-athletes — one female and one male — who excelled in scholarship, character, and citizenship. It was first awarded in 1967 and is named in honor of former NAIA executive secretary A.O. Duer, who served the association for 26 years in the national office.

"We are proud to recognize Emma as Montana Tech's nominee for the prestigious Duer Award," Orediggers athletic director Matt Stepan said. "Her character, work ethic, and dedication to academics truly exemplify what it means to be a Montana Tech student. As a standout on the golf course and in the classroom, Emma represents the standard of excellence we strive for in all areas of student-athlete development. She embodies what it means to be a Determined Doer."

Woods carries a 3.88 grade-point average and ranked second on the Oredigger team with an 81.7 scoring average in her junior campaign on the course. Her three top-five and five top-10 finishes were both team-bests. She was the 2023 Frontier Conference freshman of the year in women's golf and garnered all-conference accolades twice. 

She serves as a teaching assistant in Montana Tech's anatomy and physiology laboratory and volunteered at Honeybee Hospice in Butte. Woods is also a member of Tech's pre-professional health, biology, and chemistry clubs.

Earlier this week, Woods and three teammates garnered Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators and was advanced by the selection committee to the Academic All-America ballot.

The Duer Award winners will be announced on NAIA National Awards Day in September and will receive a $1,000 scholarship from the NAIA office.

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