TROY, N.Y. – First-year Iyene Essien was recognized for her record-setting first season with the Union College women's golf team by earning Liberty League Rookie of the Year honors, the conference announced on Thursday afternoon. The recognition is the first major conference award for the program since its inception in 2012-13.
 
On the season, Essien finished with a program-record scoring average of 77.27 strokes per round, thanks to 10 of the team's 11 lowest rounds of the year. She started her collegiate career by shattering the school record with a two-under 70 at the St. Lawrence Fall Invitational and went on to card six of Union's top-14 rounds and five of the program's top-seven two-day scores ever. The two-time Liberty League Performer of the Week and three-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week finished top-five in seven of the team's eight events this season, including a pair of individual medalist honors at St. Lawrence and Saint Anselm, and posted only one round higher than 80 on the year.
 
"Seeing Iyene win this award really does showcase what a fantastic first-year campaign she had," said head coach Matt McPhillips. "The effort put in both on and off the golf course – especially when going up against some high-level competition both in and out of conference – was simply amazing to watch. It was an excellent season for Iyene and the team as a whole, and the future is bright both for her and this program."
 
Essien capped her year with a fantastic weekend at the Liberty League Championships, carding a two-day score of 153 to earn All-Liberty League first-team honors with a third-place finish. The first-year was the only player on the All-Conference first or second team not from WGCA #7 Wellesley College or #9 New York University in posting Union's highest-ever individual finish at the event.

The first-year also finished off her first season by competing in the prestigious PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship on May 5-7 at world-renowned Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. Essien finished in a tie for ninth place in the women's individual field, carding rounds of 78, 80 and 82 to finish the three days at 240. She was one of two Division III golfers in the 21-person field, which also featured competitors from NCAA Divisions I and II as well as the NAIA and NCCAA.
 
With Essien leading the way, Union averaged a record-setting 332.67 strokes per round in 2024-25, nearly 10 strokes better than the previous program standard, and finished in fourth place at the Liberty League Championships.