Michigan
NCAA East Regional
Benedict Leads Michigan to 12th at NCAA East Regional
5/12/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The University of Michigan women's golf team concluded its first NCAA postseason experience with a round of 309 on Saturday (May 12) and finished 12th at the NCAA East Regional at North Carolina's Finley Golf Course. The Wolverines shot 308, 308 and 309 for a 54-hole total of 925 and were not among the regional's top eight schools which will move on to the NCAA Championships May 22-25 at Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
The final day of action was cut short by rain storms which twice halted play. A total of 29 individuals were unable to complete the final round, meaning that seven teams did not have third-round scores. Those seven teams officially tied for 15th place, while the 29 individuals tied for 79th.
Wolverine sophomore Kim Benedict (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) completed a stellar individual effort by carding a two-over-par 74 on the final day. She finished in a tie for 21st with a total of 225 (75-76-74) and missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships by four shots. Benedict, who set a school record with her 77.41 stroke average this season, was tied for sixth among players not from one of the top eight teams; the top two advanced to nationals.
Junior Cortney Reno (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) also had a strong final round, shooting 75 to wind up in a tie for 61st (84-80-75/239), while junior Misia Lemanski (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) also broke 80 on Saturday with a final-round 79 and tie for 53rd (76-81-79/236).
Junior LeAnna Wicks (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS), whose 74 in the second round matched Benedict's final round for U-M's lowest 18 holes at the regional, was second among the Wolverines for the tournament as she tied for 44th place (78-74-81/233), and junior Bess Bowers (Bloomington, Ind./North HS) tied for 59th (79-78-81/238).
Led by medalist Virada Nirapathpongporn and runner-up Candy Hannemann, Duke led wire to wire and took the team title with a seven-over-par total of 871 (286-291-294). Auburn finished eight shots back in second place (294-290-295/879). Other teams which qualified for the NCAA Championships by finishing in the top eight were Georgia, South Florida, New Mexico, South Carolina, San Jose State and Pepperdine.
Nirapathpongporn, whose opening-day 65 was the low round of the tournament, closed with a 71 to shoot 209 (65-73-71) for the regional, three shots better than her teammate Hannemann (72-68-72/212). South Carolina's Kristy McPherson also broke par for 54 holes, finishing at 214 (73-69-72).
The regional's individual qualifiers for the NCAA Championships (top two not on one of the qualifying teams) were Marta Prieto of Wake Forest, who tied for seventh at 219, and Meredith Ward of Vanderbilt, who tied for 10th with TCU's Shannon Barr and was awarded the trip to nationals based on her final-round 72; Barr shot 75 on Saturday.
Final Team Standings
(Top eight teams advance to NCAA Championships)
1. Duke 286-291-294 = 871 (+7)
2. Auburn 294-290-295 = 879
3. Georgia 297-298-292 = 887
4. South Florida 303-303-293 = 899
5. New Mexico 299-303-300 = 902
6. South Carolina 305-293-306 = 904
7. San Jose State 299-308-300 = 907
8. Pepperdine 307-297-304 = 908
9. Wake Forest 306-301-302 = 909
10. Vanderbilt 311-296-304 = 911
11. Texas Christian 302-310-304 = 916
12. MICHIGAN 308-308-309 = 925
13. Campbell 308-317-306 = 931
14. Charleston Southern 314-310-311 = 935
15. Northwestern 314-308-DNF (622)
Louisville 304-318-DNF (622)
Florida State 308-315-DNF (623)
San Diego State 310-316-DNF (626)
North Carolina 310-318-DNF (628)
Kansas State 323-315-DNF (638)
Jackson State 351-337-DNF (688)
Top Individuals
1. Virada Nirapathpongporn, Duke 65-73-71 = 209 (-7)
2. Candy Hannemann, Duke 72-68-72 = 212
3. Kristy McPherson, South Carolina 73-69-72 = 214
4. Laura Henderson, Georgia 70-77-70 = 217
5. Diana Ramage, Auburn 76-71-71 = 218
Lindsey Wright, Pepperdine 74-73-71 = 218
7. Marta Prieto, Wake Forest# 74-73-72 = 219
Ryley Webb, New Mexico 72-74-73 = 219
9. Angela Jerman, Georgia 77-71-72 = 220
10. Meredith Ward, Vanderbilt# 76-74-72 = 222
Celeste Troche, Auburn 75-73-74 = 222
Shannon Barr, TCU 73-74-75 = 222
# Individual qualifiers for NCAA Championships
Michigan Individual Scores
T21. Kim Benedict 75-76-74 = 225 T44. LeAnna Wicks 78-74-81 = 233 T53. Misia Lemanski 76-81-79 = 236 T59. Bess Bowers 79-78-81 = 238 T61. Cortney Reno 84-80-75 = 239
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Kathy Teichert
On the regional ... "We had a good tournament yet we made some mistakes which cost us a chance at making it to nationals. We played with some teams we had never played with and it was good to get that experience and compare ourselves against them. We were a shot or two or three and good decision-making away."
On looking ahead to next year ... "We had a very successful year. Making it to the regional was a great experience. I think the players saw what this was all about and now they want to make it to the next level and go to the NCAA Championships. There is no question that this will be a great motivator for us this summer. We have to raise the bar again, and I don't see why we can't expand on the experience we gained this week."
Sophomore Kim Benedict
On her performance ... "I had a really good tournament. I wasn't hitting the ball very well coming in, but I worked with my dad and Sandy (Wagner, assistant coach) really helped me a lot. I ended up hitting the ball really well, and everything kind of worked out. I putted wonderfully and had a ton of six- to eight-footers that I hit with confidence."
On what the team can draw from this experience ... "It was great to get here, but we know we could have done better. We don't lose anybody so we definitely expect to come back and make it to the championship next year."
N O T E S
• Sophomore Kim Benedict ended up winning the team scoring title for the second straight season as she finished with a school-record stroke average of 77.41, edging out junior LeAnna Wicks (77.68) for the lead. The two were separated by just nine shots (2,632-2,641) over 34 rounds covering 13 events. The previous U-M single-season record of 78.42 was set by Sharon Park in 1997-98.
• Four Wolverines finished with 2000-01 season stroke averages under 80 -- Benedict (77.41), Wicks (77.68), Bess Bowers (78.24) and Cortney Reno (78.29). Misia Lemanski (80.00) and Sarah Kruer (80.24) were fifth and sixth, respectively.
Players Mentioned
