BJ Graber Award
2011 NJCAA Betty Jo Graber Award - Mitsuki Katahira
By Gage Axford, NJCAA Student Assistant
 The NJCAA is proud to announce Mitsuki Katahira of Daytona State College (Fla.), as the 2011 NJCAA Betty Jo Graber Female Student-Athlete of the Year. The Betty Jo Graber Award is awarded annually to the top female student-athlete in the NJCAA that best exhibits hard work, discipline, ethics and excellence in competition. Katahira is the second golfer to receive the Betty Jo Graber Award.
In her second season with Daytona State, the Kanagawa, Japan native did not finish lower than second place in tournament play. Katahira won nine of eleven tournaments in 2011 and was listed as the top female amateur player when the first rankings were released by World Amateur Golf Ranking system (she is currently ranked No. 2 as of July 14, 2011). Katahira also finished second among all collegiate women golfers in the Golfstat Cup Standings for this season. Her average round score was 71.10 and she shot under par in eight tournaments.
The two-time NJCAA First-Team All-American led the Falcons to two straight NJCAA Women’s Golf Championships, while also claiming twoindividual medalist titles in the process. She is the NJCAA record holder for the lowest individual three round total (211 in 2010) and lowest individual round score (64 in 2010) in NJCAA Women’s Golf Championship play. Even further, Katahira is also part of two NJCAA team records: lowest round score (280 in 2010) and lowest three-round team total (869 in 2010).
“Mitsuki is an outstanding athlete, student and person,” said Daytona State women’s golf head coach Laura Brown. “She has an incredible work ethic and is a great role model for  other student-athletes.”
Katahira plans to go through LPGA Qualifying School, which begins with Stage I qualifying in late July. If she advances through all three stages of the qualifying school, Katahira will have her LPGA Tour membership established by the end of December.
ABOUT the NJCAA BETTY JO GRABER AWARD
Betty Jo Graber spent 35 years advancing opportunities for women in NJCAA athletics. Along with a successful basketball coaching career at Weatherford College, Texas, she was also the Region 5 Women’s Director, the NJCAA Women’s Basketball Committee Chair and a founding member of the NJCAA Women’s Division. Graber was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Tennessee. Graber was the perfect model of hard work, discipline, ethics and excellence in community college athletics. This award is given annually to the NJCAA Student-Athlete that best exhibits these traits.
|
NJCAA BETTY JO GRABER AWARD RECIPIENTS
|
|
Year
|
Name
|
Sport(s)
|
College; City, State
|
|
1992-1993
|
Carey Burton
|
Volleyball
|
Barton County Community College; Great Bend, Kan.
|
|
1993-1994
|
Nema Corey
|
Slow Pitch Softball
|
Meridian Community College; Meridian, Miss.
|
|
1994-1995
|
Kay Mannebach
|
Cross Country & Track
|
Colby Community College; Colby, Kan.
|
|
1995-1996
|
Tricia Ferrin
|
Basketball
|
Utah Valley State College; Orem, Utah
|
|
1996-1997
|
Nicole Weed,
|
Softball
|
Daytona Beach Community College; Daytona Beach, Fla.
|
|
1997-1998
|
Kaunda Kay Williams
|
Basketball
|
Gulf Coast Community College; Panama City, Fla.
|
|
1998-1999
|
Yalika "Boo" Barnes
|
Basketball
|
Trinity Valley Community College; Athens, Texas
|
|
1999-2000
|
Devra Viekant
|
Cross Country & Track
|
Utah Valley State College; Orem, Utah
|
|
2000-2001
|
Stephanie Martin
|
Volleyball
|
College of Southern Idaho; Twin Falls, Idaho
|
|
2001-2002
|
Yuliana Perez
|
Track & Field
|
Pima Community College; Tucson, Ariz.
|
|
2002-2003
|
Natashia Morehead
|
Basketball
|
Gulf Coast Community College; Panama City, Fla.
|
|
2003-2004
|
Heidi Brooks
|
Basketball & Softball
|
Corning Community College; Corning, N.Y.
|
|
2004-2005
|
Chelsie Mesa
|
Softball
|
Phoenix College; Phoenix, Ariz.
|
|
2005-2006
|
Sally Kipyego
|
Track & Field
|
South Plains College; Levelland, Texas
|
|
2006-2007
|
Kristina Jenkins
|
Bowling
|
Hudson Valley Community College; Troy, N.Y.
|
|
2007-2008
|
Lindsey Palmer
|
Softball
|
Salt Lake Community College; Salt Lake City, Utah
|
|
2008-2009
|
Nicole Race
|
Golf
|
Redlands Community College; El Reno, Okla.
|
|
2009-2010
|
Kelly Closse
|
Track & Field
|
South Plains College , Texas
|
| 2010-2012 |
Mitsuki Katahira |
Golf |
Daytona State College (Fla.) |
|
|
