Deacon Golf Teams to Compete in NCAA Regional Championships
5/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
May 8, 2001
Winston-Salem, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's and women's golf teams have both earned berths in the 2001 NCAA Championships, as announced by the NCAA. Both ranked among the nation's top 20 teams, the Deacon squads' championship runs begin over the next two weekends with regional tournament action.
The 16th-ranked Wake Forest women's golf team, under head coach Dianne Dailey, heads to Chapel Hill, N.C. to compete in the NCAA East Regional May 10-12. The Regional takes place at the par 72, 6,211-yard Finley Golf Course, and is hosted by North Carolina. Twenty-one teams and two individuals will compete over 54 holes, with the top eight teams and top two individuals (not on one of those eight teams) advancing to the NCAA Women's Championships. This year's Championships take place at the Mission Inn Resort at Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. from May 23-26.
The Deacon women are making their ninth consecutive appearance in the NCAA East Regional, and have advanced to the Championships on six of those occasions. They have placed no lower than ninth in the Regionals (1998, `99) and have won the event twice (1994, `95). The team's best NCAA Championship finish came in 1995, when it finished third. Last year, the Deacons made an appearance in the Championships after a three-year hiatus, finishing 17th overall. Current senior Marta Prieto placed third as an individual, marking the highest finish ever by a Deacon women's golfer.
The Deacon men, ranked 10th nationally, will travel to Oregon to compete in the NCAA West Regional, held at Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis, Ore. Oregon State University will serve as host of the 54-hole tournament which runs May 17-19. The West Regional features 27 teams and six individuals competing for 10 team slots and two individual slots, which advance to the championships. The NCAA Men's Championships takes place at the Duke University Golf Club in Durham, N.C. from May 30- June 3.
Wake Forest men's golf has a long NCAA championship history, having captured three NCAA team titles (1974, `75 and `86). Additionally, four former Deacons have pocketed five NCAA individual championships - Arnold Palmer (1949, `50), Curtis Strange (1974), Jay Haas (1975) and Gary Hallberg (1979). WFU has made 40 trips to the NCAAs, including a streak of 32 straight appearances from 1962 to `98. Under the guidance of head coach and former WFU player Jerry Haas, the Deacs returned to the NCAA Championships last season, finishing 15th overall with a lineup that included one sophomore and four freshmen.
Wake Forest in the NCAA Women's Golf Championships
East Regional: May 10-12, Finley Golf Course, Chapel Hill, N.C. (North Carolina, host) - 21 teams, top eight teams and two individuals advance
Championships: May 23-26, Mission Inn Resort, Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. (Stetson University, host)
Wake Forest in the NCAA Men's Golf Championships
West Regional: May 17-19, Trysting Tree Golf Club, Corvallis, Ore. (Oregon State, host) - 27 teams, top eight teams and two individuals advance
Championships: May 30-June 3, Duke University Golf Club, Durham, N.C. (Duke University, host)