Gannon University Athletics

Sorensen begins her second season at Gannon in 2013-14 after being named head women's golf coach on July 11, 2012. The Villa Maria (Pa.) Academy graduate was able to keep the program near the top of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), guiding the Lady Knights to a third consecutive top-two finish at the league’s championship. Sorensen’s tenure began with a runner-up finish at the 2012 PSAC Championships. Gannon opened the fall campaign with three straight top-three finishes, before completing the 2012-13 season with six top-five finishes.

Two Lady Knights landed spots on the All-PSAC teams during Sorensen’s first season. Bhanisha Nagindas was named to the first team while Amanda Teodorsson earned second-team accolades.

Academically, Gannon flourished with Sorensen at the helm. Three Lady Knights were named PSAC Scholar-Athletes while two received the Division II Athletics Directors of Association (DII ADA) Academic Achievement Award for producing a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better. In addition, Carlyn Babinec and Annie Yovich were named All-America Scholars by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA). To top the season off, Babinec became one of only four golfers nationwide at any level of the NCAA to receive the Walter J. Travis Memorial Scholarship.

Sorensen was a four-year letterwinner during her playing days at Allegheny (Pa.) College where she graduated as the school’s valedictorian with a 3.95 cumulative grade-point average. She was an integral part in helping the Gator women’s golf team secure its fifth consecutive top-10 finish at the 2012 NCAA Division III National Championships. As a result, Allegheny became the first program across any NCAA division to qualify for the national championships its first seven years as a varsity sport.

“Abby will be a great addition to the Gannon community and we’re excited to have her join the athletics staff,” said Gannon Director of Athletics Mark Richard upon her hiring. “Abby comes from a great program at Allegheny. She is a mature and focused individual who is committed to keeping the program successful at a high level on the course and in the classroom. Abby quickly surfaced as a great candidate to help continue the program’s recent success.”

Sorensen averaged 86.4 strokes per round during her final two seasons at Allegheny. Her best finish as a senior in 2011-12 was a 10th-place performance at the Nazareth Fall Invitational while a 78 during the first round of Gannon’s Michael Corbett Fall Classic represented her best 18-hole score of the season. She produced a career-best two-day total of 160 (78-82) on Gannon’s home course. Sorensen recorded six top-20 finishes as a senior, including a 14th-place finish during the first event of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championship series and a 16th-place finish during the second event.

“I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to lead this group of very talented student-athletes,” said Sorensen upon her hiring. “Coach Willow left very big shoes to fill, and I am honored to take over this program that he worked so hard to build into a nationally-competitive one. I am very humbled by the confidence Mark Richard and the University have in hiring me, and I look forward to working closely with the entire Golden Knight athletics staff.”

Sorensen enjoyed her career-best finish as the individual runner-up at the 2010 Allegheny Invitational behind a two-day total of 163 (80-83). She finished seventh during the first event of the NCAC championships series as a junior. Sorensen was named to the Wittenberg Spring Preview All-Tournament Team as a sophomore, before becoming the First Flight champion at the Erie District Women’s Golf Association Match Play Championships during the summer of 2010.

In addition to being named to the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) All-America Scholar Team as a junior and senior, Sorensen was a two-time Doane Scholar and three-time Distinguished Alden Scholar while at Allegheny.

The Erie, Pa., native was a two-sport athlete at Villa Maria Academy, lettering four times in both golf and softball. Also a high school valedictorian, Sorensen helped lead the 2007 Villa Maria golf team to a state runner-up finish. She originally attended Penn State for one semester, before continuing her academic and athletic career at Allegheny.

Sorensen graduated from Allegheny in May of 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies and a minor in Political Science. She is also currently employed as a Marketing and Events Project Manager at Jameson Publishing, which publishes national business-to-business websites and magazines such as Business Solutions and Integrated Solutions for Retailers."