FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  Methodist women's golfer Jillian Drinkard has been named the University's 2019 Mason Sykes Cup winner, as announced by the Department of Athletics Tuesday morning.

The award, named for former MU soccer coach Mason Sykes, has been presented annually to the University's top student-athlete since 1986. Chosen in a vote of the department's coaches, the winner must display outstanding athletic achievement and possess a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.

Tuesday's announcement marks the eighth different women's golfer to capture the award and the 12th time the winner has come from the women's golf program.

Drinkard, a rising sophomore from Appomattox, Virginia, earned national honors during her first year with the Monarch program, picking up the Women's Golf Coach Association's 2019 Division III Freshman of the Year Award at the WGCA annual banquet during the NCAA D-III women's golf championship in mid May.

She was also tabbed a first-team D-III WGCA All-American and a WGCA All-East Region player at the banquet, and on July 8 was named to the WGCA Scholar All-American Team.

Helping spur Methodist to a third-place finish at the NCAA championship in Houston, Texas, Drinkard vaulted 16 spots up the leaderboard on the tournament's final day, completing her initial trip to nationals with a 12th-place finish on the individual leaderboard, carding an 18-over par 306 (80-76-79-71).

Drinkard closed out her freshman campaign ranked sixth in Golfstat.com's final player rankings with a 75.66 scoring average and an 18-6 head-to-head record against other top-25 golfers.

She brought home individual medalist honors twice during the 2018-19 season -- the Bulldog (URedlands, Calif.) Classic in late March, and the Piedmont College Spring Invitational in early April -- and finished in the runner-up spot in two other events. In nine events Drinkard recorded seven top-10 finishes and averaged better than a sixth-place finish across the season.

All-Time Mason Sykes Cup Winners
1986 - Doug Garner, baseball
1987 - Karen Grant, women's track and field
1988 - Jansen Evans, baseball
1989 - Mike Brewington, baseball
1990 - John McCullough, men's golf
1991 - Anne Thorpe, women's soccer & Jay Kirkpatrick, baseball
1992 - Mike Rohr, baseball
1993 - Ryan Jenkins, men's golf
1994 - Anne Uleman, women's basketball, softball
1995 - Kelly Cap, women's golf
1996 - Mike Adamson, men's golf
1997 - Jason Childers, men's basketball
1998 - Tracey Gage, women's golf
1999 - Tracey Gage, women's golf
2000 - Heather Hugus, softball
2001 - Elena Blanina, women's tennis
2002 - Elena Blanina, women's tennis
2003 - Michelle Meadows, women's golf
2004 - Adam Horton, men's golf
2005 - Charlotte Williams, women's golf
2006 - Charlotte Williams, women's golf
2007 - Katie Dick, women's golf
2008 - Susan Martin, women's golf
2009 - Susan Martin, women's golf
2010 - Susan Martin, women's golf
2011 - Paige Caldwell, women's golf
2012 - Ashlynn Chavis, women's track and field
2013 - Mike Wesko, men's golf
2014 - Max Reber, football
2015 - Max Reber, football
2016 - Eirik Nordseth, men's soccer
2017 - Jake Smerka, men's lacrosse
2018 - Larkin Gross, men's golf
2019 - Jillian Drinkard, women's golf