When senior golfer Devan Andersen learned she had been selected Female Student-Athlete of the Month, she admitted that she didn't expect it.

"It caught me completely by surprise," said Andersen as she laced up her spikes before practice. "A friend came up to me and said, 'Congratulations on being the Student Athlete of the Month.' I had no clue.

"I wanted to say something, but to tell you the truth, I didn't know exactly know what to say. I'll just say that I appreciate it."

Andersen, a two-time selection on the All-Big 12 Academic Second Team, also has earned a spot on the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll. She was the recipient of the Margaret Orr Woodyard Endowed Presidential Scholarship in 2003.

"I don't have a 4.0 GPA, but my academics are important to me," Andersen said. "I work very hard at it. I'll tell you the academics don't come as naturally as the golf."

That makes what she has accomplished even more noteworthy.

Dr. Randa Ryan, the senior associate athletics director for student services, noted such an attitude on the part of Andersen, whose hometown is Guadalajara, Mexico.

"Oftentimes, my role in her academic life is to make her laugh," Ryan observed. "Devan is such a determined student, I want her to see how much she has accomplished at Texas. She is so conscientious about everything she does, not just her schoolwork. Her energy and devotion to her education is admirable.

"She has a great focus and really is wise beyond her years."

Karol Kaye Harris, one of Andersen's professors, says, "She made me think, and made me grateful to have her in class."

A health promotions and fitness major, Andersen is second on the women's golf team in scoring. In 2004, she was a quarterfinalist in the Women's British Amateur and second in the Dutch International Championship. She was the Mexican National Champion in 2002.

"I want to eventually get into physical therapy," she said.