tar heel golf notes
TAR HEEL GOLF NOTES •CAROLINA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: This marks Carolina’s ninth appearance in the NCAA Championship and the fourth time Carolina has been to the NCAAs since Head Coach Sally Austin took over the help in 1993-94. She took the 1994, 1995 and 2003 teams to the NCAAs. Last year the Tar Heels finished in 13th place at the NCAA Championship. Carolina’s previous trips to the NCAA Championship came in 1982, 1984, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 2003. The Tar Heels’ top finish has been eighth place. They finished alone in eighth place in 1989, 1992 and 1995 and tied for eighth in 1993. Carolina advanced to this year’s NCAA Championship by virtue of a third-place finish at the NCAA East Regional. Tar Heel Meaghan Francella captured the individual championship by firing a seven-under-par 209 total. Francella fired a three-under 69 in the opening round followed by a one-under 71 and another three-under 69 on the final day. Teammate Ashley Prange was the runner-up with a two-under 214 total. Carolina finished with an 892 total after firing rounds of 303-294-295 at the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort’s Champion Course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., a par 72, 6,165-yard layout. •THIS YEAR’S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: This year’s NCAA Championship will be played May 18-21 at the Lake Course at the Grand National Golf Club in Opelika, Ala., which features a par 72, 6,215-yard layout. The Lake Course at Grand National, opened in 1994, has never hosted the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship. However, it has played host to the 2000 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, the 1994 NCAAMen’s Golf East Regional and the 1996 NCAA Women’s Golf East Regional. The 72-hole event will have 24 teams and six individuals (not on those eight teams) competing. The teams advancing out of the NCAA East Regional played at the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort at Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., are Duke, UNLV, North Carolina, Florida State, Wake Forest Furman, Tennessee and Oklahoma State. The qualifiers from the NCAA Central Regional at University Golf Course in Normal, Ill., are Vanderbilt, Arizona, Michigan State, Southern California, Baylor, Purdue, New Mexico and Texas A&M. The qualifiers from the NCAA West Regional at Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Calif., are UCLA, California, Stanford, Washington, Georgia, Ohio State, Arizona State and Washington State. The individual qualifiers are Adrienne Gautreaux of South Carolina and Adrienne Millican of East Carolina from the East; Allison Touch of Michigan State and Laura Cross of SMU from the Central; and Elizabeth Allen of CSU-Northridge and Ashley Gomes of San Jose State from the West. •CAROLINA’S SPRING CAMPAIGN: Carolina has captured two team championships this spring. The Tar Heels began the spring campaign with a win at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic in Baton Rouge, La., and the next week they won the Lady Gamecock Classic in Blythewood, S.C. Carolina senior Ashley Prange captured the individual title in both of those events. Senior Meaghan Francella finished in third place at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic while freshman Katie Miller tied for 10th. In the Lady Gamecock Classic, Miller tied for runner-up honors and Francella tied for fifth place. Carolina finished third at the NCAA East Regional as Francella captured the individual title with a five-stroke victory over teammate Prange. The Tar Heels also finished third at the ACC Championship in Clemmons, N.C., where Francella was the runner-up at seven-under 206 and Prange was one shot back in third place. Carolina posted eighth-place finishes at both the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational in Austin, Tex., and the Bryan National Collegiate in Browns Summit, N.C. Prange posted a ninth-place finish at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational and Francella finished one-stroke back in 10th place. At the Bryan National Collegiate, Prange and Francella tied for 11th place and Miller tied for 30th. •CAROLINA’S FALL CAMPAIGN: Carolina’s top performance of the fall came at the ACC/SEC Challenge, the final event of the fall campaign, where the Tar Heels tied for fourth place. Senior Meaghan Francella finished in 10th place while senior Ashley Prange finished 22nd and sophomore Romi Irons tied for 24th. Carolina carded an eighth-place finish at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational played at UNC’s Finley Golf Course. Francella tallied a fourth-place finish while Prange tied for fifth. The Tar Heels posted a 12th-place finish at the NCAAFall Preview in Auburn, Ala., where Prange tied for 12th place and Francella tied for 22nd. At the Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tenn., Carolina finished 13th and freshman Katie Miller was the low Tar Heel, tying for 17th place in the individual race. •CAROLINA IN THE POLLS: Carolina is ranked 17th in the Golfweek/Sagarin Collegiate Rankings. Senior Meaghan Francella is ranked seventh in the individual rankings while senior Ashley Prange is ranked ninth. (more)
TAR HEEL GOLF NOTES -- page 2 •PRANGE AND FRANCELLA NAMED TO ALL-ACC TEAM: Seniors Ashley Prange and Meaghan Francella were selected to the 2004 All-Atlantic Coast Conference team. This marks the third consecutive year Prange has been selected to the team and the second straight year Francella has been on the squad. They were joined on the all-conference team by Duke’s Leigh Anne Hardin, Virada Nirapathpongporn, Elizabeth Janangelo, Anna Grzebien and Brittany Lang; Florida State’s Katie Quinney and Caroline Larsson; Wake Forest’s Christine Hallstrom and Ashley Hoagland; and Virginia’s Leah Wigger. Duke’s Janangelo was named the ACC Player of the Year while teammate Lang was chosen Rookie of the Year. Duke’s Dan Brooks received Coach of the Year accolades for the ninth time in his career. •PRANGE LEADS WAY FOR TAR HEELS: Ashley Prange, a senior from Noblesville. Ind., captured two individual championships this spring, the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic and the Lady Gamecock Classic. In the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic, Prange carded a one-under-par 215 total after firing rounds of 73-71-71 to post a three-stoke victory over South Carolina’s Adrienne Gautreaux. The next week at the Lady Gamecock Classic, Prange tallied a three-over 219 total with rounds of 71-74-74 to finish three strokes ahead of South Carolina’s Gautreaux and fellow Tar Heel teammate Katie Miller. These two wins give Prange three collegiate victories as she won the Mercedes-Benz Championship in the fall of 2002. Prange has posted finishes in the top 11 in all six of Carolina’s spring tournaments and has posted nine top-25 finishes in Carolina’s 10 events. In addition to her two wins this spring, Prange was the runner-up at the NCAA East Regional with a two-under 214 total after firing rounds of 74-71-69 She finished in third place at the ACC Championship with a six-under-par 207 total, finished ninth at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational and tied for 11th at the Bryan National Collegiate. Last fall, she tied for fifth place at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational, tied for 12th at the NCAA Fall Preview and finished 22nd Top 25 National Finishes at the ACC/SEC Challenge. 1976-77 ....................20th (AIAW) Prange tied for 47th place at last year’s NCAA Championship in West Lafayette, Ind. 1977-78 ....................10th (AIAW) 1980-81 ....................19th (AIAW) 1981-82 ............16th-tied (NCAA) ..................................12th (AIAW) 1983-84 ....................12th (NCAA) 1984-85 ....................18th (NCAA) 1985-86 ....................18th (NCAA) 1988-89 ......................8th (NCAA) 1990-91 ....................25th (NCAA) 1991-92 ......................8th (NCAA) 1992-93 ......................8th (NCAA) 1993-94 ....................16th (NCAA) 1994-95 ......................8th (NCAA) 1997-98 ....................15th (NCAA) 2002-03 ....................13th (NCAA)
•FRANCELLA FINISHING STRONG: Meaghan Francella, a senior from Port Chester, N.Y., captured the individual championship at the NCAA East Regional in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. She carded a seven-under 209 total after firing a three-under 69 in the first round followed by a oneunder 71 and another three-under 69 on the final day. This was Francella’s second individual title as a Tar Heel. She also won the 2003 ACC Championship. Francella was the runner-up at this year’s ACC Championship firing a seven-under-par 206 total, just two strokes behind the champion. All of Francella’s performances this spring have been top-11 finishes and she has posted nine top-25 finishes in Carolina’s 10 events this year. In addition to the this spring’s ACC and East Regional, Francella carded a third-place finish at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic, tied for fifth at the Lady Gamecock Classic, finished 10th at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational and tied for 11th at the Bryan National Collegiate. Last fall, she finished in fourth place at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational, finished 10th at the ACC/SEC Challenge and tied for 22nd at the NCAA Fall Preview. All-America Selections Francella is completing her second season with the Tar Heels after transferring from 1981-82 ................Linda Mescan (3rd team) Memphis. She was the low Tar Heels, tying for 28th place at last year’s NCAAChampionship 1982-83 ....................Page Marsh (3rd team) 1987-88 ................Katie Peterson (3rd team) played in West Lafayette, Ind. •MILLER BECOMES STARTER AS FRESHMAN: Katie Miller, from Jeannette, Pa., has played in all 10 of Carolina’s tournaments in just her freshman year as a Tar Heel. Miller has posted five top-30 finishes. This spring, she tied for second place at the Lady Gamecock Classic, tied for 10th at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic, tied for 20th at the ACC Championship and tied for 30th at the Bryan National Collegiate. Last fall, Miller was the low Tar Heel at the Mason Rudolph Championship where she tied for 17th place.
1988-89 ................Katie Peterson (1st team) ..........................Donna Andrews (2nd team) 1992-93 ............Kimberly Byham (1st team) 1997-98 ............Megan Morgan (Hon. Men.) 1998-99 ..............Marcy Newton (2nd team) 1999-00 ............Marcy Newton (Hon. Men.) 2002-03..............Ashley Prange (Hon. Men.)
•MARUSHAK AND IRONS ROUND OUT LINEUP: Beth Marushak, a sophomore from Northampton, Pa., and Romi Irons, a sophomore from Austin, Texas, will be in Carolina’s starting lineup for the NCAA Championship. Marushak has played in seven events this year as her top outing was a 17th-place finish at the ACC Championship. Irons has played in all 10 of Carolina’s tournaments. Her top performance was a tie for 31st place finish at the ACC Championship. www.TarHeelBlue.com UNC Golf SID: Lee Snyder, 919-962-8095; 919-806-1766 (home)
Carolina Under Sally Austin Year NCAA Finish 1993-94 ..................................16th 1994-95 ....................................8th 1995-96 ..............NCAARegionals 1996-97 ..............NCAARegionals 1997-98 ..................................15th 1998-99 ..............NCAARegionals 1999-00 ..............NCAARegionals 2000-01 ..............NCAARegionals 2001-02 ..............NCAARegionals 2002-03 ..................................13th
TAR HEEL GOLF NOTES -- page 2 •PRANGE AND FRANCELLA NAMED TO ALL-ACC TEAM: Seniors Ashley Prange and Meaghan Francella were selected to the 2004 All-Atlantic Coast Conference team. This marks the third consecutive year Prange has been selected to the team and the second straight year Francella has been on the squad. They were joined on the all-conference team by Duke’s Leigh Anne Hardin, Virada Nirapathpongporn, Elizabeth Janangelo, Anna Grzebien and Brittany Lang; Florida State’s Katie Quinney and Caroline Larsson; Wake Forest’s Christine Hallstrom and Ashley Hoagland; and Virginia’s Leah Wigger. Duke’s Janangelo was named the ACC Player of the Year while teammate Lang was chosen Rookie of the Year. Duke’s Dan Brooks received Coach of the Year accolades for the ninth time in his career. •PRANGE LEADS WAY FOR TAR HEELS: Ashley Prange, a senior from Noblesville. Ind., captured two individual championships this spring, the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic and the Lady Gamecock Classic. In the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic, Prange carded a one-under-par 215 total after firing rounds of 73-71-71 to post a three-stoke victory over South Carolina’s Adrienne Gautreaux. The next week at the Lady Gamecock Classic, Prange tallied a three-over 219 total with rounds of 71-74-74 to finish three strokes ahead of South Carolina’s Gautreaux and fellow Tar Heel teammate Katie Miller. These two wins give Prange three collegiate victories as she won the Mercedes-Benz Championship in the fall of 2002. Prange has posted finishes in the top 11 in all six of Carolina’s spring tournaments and has posted nine top-25 finishes in Carolina’s 10 events. In addition to her two wins this spring, Prange was the runner-up at the NCAA East Regional with a two-under 214 total after firing rounds of 74-71-69 She finished in third place at the ACC Championship with a six-under-par 207 total, finished ninth at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational and tied for 11th at the Bryan National Collegiate. Last fall, she tied for fifth place at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational, tied for 12th at the NCAA Fall Preview and finished 22nd Top 25 National Finishes at the ACC/SEC Challenge. 1976-77 ....................20th (AIAW) Prange tied for 47th place at last year’s NCAA Championship in West Lafayette, Ind. 1977-78 ....................10th (AIAW) 1980-81 ....................19th (AIAW) 1981-82 ............16th-tied (NCAA) ..................................12th (AIAW) 1983-84 ....................12th (NCAA) 1984-85 ....................18th (NCAA) 1985-86 ....................18th (NCAA) 1988-89 ......................8th (NCAA) 1990-91 ....................25th (NCAA) 1991-92 ......................8th (NCAA) 1992-93 ......................8th (NCAA) 1993-94 ....................16th (NCAA) 1994-95 ......................8th (NCAA) 1997-98 ....................15th (NCAA) 2002-03 ....................13th (NCAA)
•FRANCELLA FINISHING STRONG: Meaghan Francella, a senior from Port Chester, N.Y., captured the individual championship at the NCAA East Regional in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. She carded a seven-under 209 total after firing a three-under 69 in the first round followed by a oneunder 71 and another three-under 69 on the final day. This was Francella’s second individual title as a Tar Heel. She also won the 2003 ACC Championship. Francella was the runner-up at this year’s ACC Championship firing a seven-under-par 206 total, just two strokes behind the champion. All of Francella’s performances this spring have been top-11 finishes and she has posted nine top-25 finishes in Carolina’s 10 events this year. In addition to the this spring’s ACC and East Regional, Francella carded a third-place finish at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic, tied for fifth at the Lady Gamecock Classic, finished 10th at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational and tied for 11th at the Bryan National Collegiate. Last fall, she finished in fourth place at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational, finished 10th at the ACC/SEC Challenge and tied for 22nd at the NCAA Fall Preview. All-America Selections Francella is completing her second season with the Tar Heels after transferring from 1981-82 ................Linda Mescan (3rd team) Memphis. She was the low Tar Heels, tying for 28th place at last year’s NCAAChampionship 1982-83 ....................Page Marsh (3rd team) 1987-88 ................Katie Peterson (3rd team) played in West Lafayette, Ind. •MILLER BECOMES STARTER AS FRESHMAN: Katie Miller, from Jeannette, Pa., has played in all 10 of Carolina’s tournaments in just her freshman year as a Tar Heel. Miller has posted five top-30 finishes. This spring, she tied for second place at the Lady Gamecock Classic, tied for 10th at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic, tied for 20th at the ACC Championship and tied for 30th at the Bryan National Collegiate. Last fall, Miller was the low Tar Heel at the Mason Rudolph Championship where she tied for 17th place.
1988-89 ................Katie Peterson (1st team) ..........................Donna Andrews (2nd team) 1992-93 ............Kimberly Byham (1st team) 1997-98 ............Megan Morgan (Hon. Men.) 1998-99 ..............Marcy Newton (2nd team) 1999-00 ............Marcy Newton (Hon. Men.) 2002-03..............Ashley Prange (Hon. Men.)
•MARUSHAK AND IRONS ROUND OUT LINEUP: Beth Marushak, a sophomore from Northampton, Pa., and Romi Irons, a sophomore from Austin, Texas, will be in Carolina’s starting lineup for the NCAA Championship. Marushak has played in seven events this year as her top outing was a 17th-place finish at the ACC Championship. Irons has played in all 10 of Carolina’s tournaments. Her top performance was a tie for 31st place finish at the ACC Championship. www.TarHeelBlue.com UNC Golf SID: Lee Snyder, 919-962-8095; 919-806-1766 (home)
Carolina Under Sally Austin Year NCAA Finish 1993-94 ..................................16th 1994-95 ....................................8th 1995-96 ..............NCAARegionals 1996-97 ..............NCAARegionals 1997-98 ..................................15th 1998-99 ..............NCAARegionals 1999-00 ..............NCAARegionals 2000-01 ..............NCAARegionals 2001-02 ..............NCAARegionals 2002-03 ..................................13th
