Newberry College Athletics

Maria Luz Besio collected several accolades during her outstanding career with the women's golf team at Newberry from 2009 through 2012. Besio graduated summa cum laude with a degree in business administration and minor in accounting, all while maintaining a stellar 3.95 grade point average. She was an NGCA All-American Scholar Athlete all four years of her career and was honored as a First Team Division II Academic All-American selection in 2012.
 
Not only did Besio dominate in the classroom, she dominated on the golf course as well. Besio was a four-time all-SAC honoree, the 2009 and 2012 South Atlantic Conference Golfer of the Year, and was a two-time SAC Champion. Besio left Newberry setting the school and SAC records for lowest career (76.73) and single season (75.14) scoring averages.
 
Besio's most notable accomplishment during her tenure came her sophomore year when she was the runner-up at the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championships. She shot a career-best 225 over three rounds, including an individual-best tournament round score of 68. Both scores broke school, conference, and national records at the time.
 
Since graduating from Newberry, Besio won the 108th Argentine Women's Amateur Championship in 2013 and was runner-up at the same tournament in 2014. She now manages Estancias Golf Club in Argentina.