North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Women's Golf Receives First NCAA Regional Bid
4/29/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
April 29, 2002
Raleigh, NC- Coach Page Marsh and the Wolfpack Women's Golf team earned a bid to the 2002 NCAA East Regional to be held in Baton Rouge, LA. The regional is hosted by LSU and runs from May 9th-11th. NC State, which finished third at this year's ACC Championship, lowered it's stroke average by over four strokes from the fall of 2001 to the spring of 2002.
The women's golf team will make its first trip to a NCAA regional in only its second year back in competition (NC State dropped women's golf from 1986-1999).
In the Fall of 2001, the Wolfpack finished second to last in the first three tournaments before a fourth place finish at the Hatter Fall Classic and a sixth place standing at the Pine Needles Invitational. The team owned a collective 79.98 stroke average and a combined 447 strokes-over-par with and average finish of 9.2 in the five fall tournaments.
Building off of the late fall success, Coach Marsh's team reeled off three straight tournament wins in March at the Lady Moc Classic, Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational, and the Lady Seahawk Invitational. The only other team tournament title in school history came in 1981 at the Seahawk Fall Invitational. The Wolfpack closed out the spring with an eighth-place finish at the Bryan National Collegiate before finishing third in the ACC Championships.
For the spring, the Wolfpack lowered its stroke average by four strokes to 75.89 and was 218 strokes-over-par, 229 strokes below the fall total. The Pack's average team finish in the spring was an outstanding 2.8.
The excellent team performances were solidified by strong individual efforts all spring. Freshman Sarah Bonner's season stroke average of 77.3 currently stands first in NC State history, while fellow freshman Colby Cobb is second with a 77.4 stroke average. Sophomore Malin Claesson fired a 70 at the Lady Moc Classic to set the school record for lowest scoring round. She fired a 71 in the Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational, tied for second in school history.
Freshman Erica Wein has added three top-20 finishes, including a 14th overall finish at last weekend's ACC Championships. Freshman Leslie Stubblefield has helped anchor the Wolfpack squad this season with a 78.7 spring average.
In 2000-2001, the squad's first season back in competition, NC State placed no higher than 10th in any tournament and finished last at the ACC Championships as Coach Marsh began what seemed to be a long rebuilding process. NC State had finished last in its only four ACC Championships prior to this season.
