STANFORD, Calif. – Senior Casey Danielson has been awarded the 2017 Dinah Shore Trophy, presented to a top collegiate female golfer who has made an impact through leadership and community service, it was announced Thursday by the Ladies Professional Golf Association.
She is the first Stanford player to receive it since the inaugural award was given in 1995.
"This is a great honor for our program," said Anne Walker, the Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women's Golf. "Casey has been an outstanding scholar-athlete and community member during her four years at Stanford. She will be a terrific ambassador of this award for many years to come."
A native of Osceola, Wisconsin, Danielson was an All-Pac-12 First Team selection in 2016-17 and ranks second on the nation's top-ranked team in scoring with a stroke average of 72.37. She has recorded eight top-10 finishes and six top-fives, and will help lead the Cardinal into the NCAA Championships on Friday at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
Danielson has completed her degree in public policy, growth and development, and attained a 3.5 cumulative grade point average. She will graduate next month.
A four-time high school state champion in Wisconsin, Danielson helped Stanford claim the 2014 Pac-12 and 2015 NCAA championship, the latter the first in program history. The squad finished second at the 2016 NCAA Championships.
Danielson has worked as a Stanford Golf Camp Counselor, providing instruction and important life skills to kids ages 5-15. She also founded and developed "Birdies for a Cause" in Wisconsin to raise money for local and national non-profit organizations by connecting community pledges with golfer performance.
Last year, Danielson generated nearly $3,000 for the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.
In addition, she was a Campus Campaign Coordinator for Teach for America from October 2015 through June 2016. Danielson analyzed data to help with strategic planning and worked to improve understanding of educational inequity on the Stanford campus while increasing student involvement in educational communities.
"I'm so honored to receive this award," Danielson said. "Coach was talking about Dinah Shore and what an incredible woman she was, and then she said I won the award. I was so surprised and my teammates were so excited for me."
It marks the second national award for Danielson this season. In October, she received the Tom Cousins Award at the East Lake Cup in Atlanta, Georgia, for her accomplishments in golf, academics and community engagement.
The Dinah Shore Trophy Award is a joint effort between The LPGA Foundation, Friends of Golf organization and the ANA Inspiration, one of the LPGA's five major championships. A $10,000 grant will be awarded to the Stanford women's golf program.
"Dinah Shore was an ambitious, driven and highly successful female," said Walker. "We are fortunate she had a passion for the game of golf and gave back so much at a crucial time in the development of the LPGA. For Casey to receive this award honoring Dinah Shore is a thrill for her personally and our program."
