Wake Forest Athletics
No. 15 Wake Forest Opens Spring Season on Monday
2/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Feb. 11, 2007
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The No. 15-ranked Wake Forest women's golf team will open its 2007 spring season on Monday at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. The three-day, 54-hole tournament will be hosted by Ohio State at the Palos Verdes Golf Club (Par 71, 5,912 yards) Feb. 12-14.
The Demon Deacons' five-player team will consist of seniors Mandy Goins and Maggie Simons, juniors Jordan Craig and Laura Crawford and sophomore Nannette Hill.
"We're looking forward to getting back into competition. The course there is always challenging for us," said head coach Dianne Dailey. "Our students are working hard. We've been practicing in cold weather here, so it will be a relief to play out there."
Some of the top collegiate teams in the country will join Wake Forest in Palos Verdes Estates. Of the 15-team field, 14 are ranked in the top 26 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Poll. In addition to Wake Forest, the tournament field includes Arizona (No. 13), Arizona State (2), California, Florida (21), Florida State (20), Kent State (25), Michigan State (19), Ohio State (24), Oklahoma State (8), Pepperdine (9), Stanford (5), UCLA (10), USC (14) and Texas A&M (26).
"We're excited to play the West Coast teams, especially those from the Pac-10," said Dailey. "One thing we want to do is get over the hump as far as the first round goes. We need to get off to good start. Last year we finished in the top four, and we would like to do that or better this year. We're looking forward to a good tournament."
In last year's Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, the Demon Deacons finished fourth of 14 teams with a 301-303-305=909 (+57). Hill led the way for Wake, tying for fourth with 72-73-75=220 (+7). Mandy Goins placed 11th overall at 74-76-75=225 (+12).
The Demon Deacons are hoping to build off a solid 2006 fall season. Wake Forest's best finish came at the Landfall Tradition where it placed fourth of 12 teams.
Goins and freshman Dolores White ended the fall ranked in the Golfweek/Sagarin Individual Top 30. Goins was ranked 21st, while White came in at 29th.
Goins currently ranks eighth in the country in non-sand up and downs and 15th in total short game. Sophomore Jean Chua is seventh in par-3 scoring and eighth in birdie conversions.
As a team, the Deacons rank in the top 10 nationally in a handful of categories. Wake is seventh in last-round scoring and 10th in total short game.
Tournament play at the Regional Challenge kicks off on Monday at 9 a.m. PST. Tuesday's round will begin at 9 a.m., while the final round on Wednesday will be a shotgun start beginning at 8:15 a.m. Live scoring for all rounds is available at www.golfstat.com/.
Players Mentioned
