DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University sophomore Leona Maguire has been nominated for the Irish Independent Young Sportstar of the Year, after an outstanding 2014-15 campaign.  

Maguire, who is currently the No. 1 ranked amateur women's golfer in the world, won numerous honors this past season including the Mark H McCormack Medal as World No. 1, the ANNIKA Award and WGCA National Player of the Year.

As a rookie with the Blue Devils, she made an immediate impact as she collected a school-record 70.78 stroke average, while notching eight top five and 10 top 10 placements out of 11 tournaments during her freshman campaign.  The ACC Player and Rookie of the Year totaled three victories at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, ACC Championship and the South Bend Regional.  

Over the summer, she nearly won a Ladies European Tour professional event, but finished one shot behind the winner, Beth Allen, at the ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters.  Adding to this, she was leading qualifier after the stroke play stage at the British Ladies Amateur Match Play Championship and represented Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) in June at the Vagliano Trophy Match against the Continent of Europe in Malone. She also played for Ireland at the European Team Championships in Denmark.

In the fall of her sophomore season, Maguire notched three top 10 placements and won her fourth collegiate title with the win at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational in October.  She will enter the spring season ranked second in the Golfweek Individual listing.

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