DALLAS – NM State golfers Emma Bunch and Rylee Salome each garnered recognition as all-conference competitors following a vote of Conference USA's 10 head coaches, the league announced on Thursday morning. Bunch garnered CUSA Golfer of the Year honors along with being voted as one of five to earn First Team All-CUSA distinction. Meanwhile, true freshman Rylee Salome earned Second Team All-CUSA honors after the conclusion of her first collegiate season.
 
Following yet another exceptional year, Bunch collected the third player of the year honor of her incredible career. With this selection, she becomes just the third CUSA golfer ever to collect three player of the year awards, joining TCU's Brooke Tull (2002, 2003, 2004) and Tulane's Pam Bluff (1998, 1999, 2000).
 
This year, Bunch finished in the top 12 in all seven tournaments she competed in, including tallying six top-10s and four top-5 results across her senior season. Bunch wrapped up the season ranked No. 88 in the SCOREBOARD national rankings to earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Stanford Regional and serve as the highest ranked CUSA player. Additionally, she is the seventh-highest ranked mid-major player in the country entering NCAA Regionals.
 
As a senior, Bunch recorded a win at The Clash at Boulder Creek, where she posted a 54-hole score of 205 (-11) to help the Aggies turn in a program record score of 844 (-20). She also finished among the top two players at the CUSA Championship for the third consecutive year, shooting 2-under to place second. Across 21 rounds, Bunch tallied 1,478 strokes to submit an 18-hole average of 70.4, while posting eight rounds in the 60s, including posting a season-low 65 in the final round of the CUSA Championship.
 
Rylee Salome introduced herself with a strong year as a true freshman to earn all-conference honors. This year, Salome was one of three Aggies to compete in all nine tournaments and submitted five top-25 finishes, including placing among the top 10 twice.
 
She turned in her best finish of the year at the Conference USA Championship, where she shot two-over to tie for third. At the CUSA Championship, Salome also held a share of the year after both rounds one and two. This year, she posted three rounds in the 60s and finished with the second-best score among Aggies in eight of the nine tournaments and shot under par at both the Sam Golden Invite and The Clash at Boulder Creek. Salome was also one of six CUSA freshman to earn all-conference honors during the 2026 season.
 
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