Golf Teams Seek ACC Championship

April 14, 2005

The NC State golf teams begin play in the ACC Championships this weekend as the Wolfpack looks to build upon recent momentum. The women's team, ranked 37th in the nation by Golfweek, tees off Friday morning at Carmel Country Club in Charlotte, N.C., as the men's squad begins Friday morning at Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point in New London, N.C.

Banks Wood leads the men's team with a 75.1 stroke average this spring. Wood, Taylor Crosby, Jerry Richardson, Garry Hill and Stephen Lewton make up the Wolfpack lineup, the same gang that took fourth place last week at NC State's Courtyard by Marriott Intercollegiate, finishing nine-under-par and ahead of 12 higher-ranked teams. NC State will once again be up against a tough group at the ACC Championship, as No. 3 Georgia Tech headlines a 10-team field that features four top-40 squads.

Lorraine Ballerano leads the women's team with a 76.2 stroke average this spring. The Wolfpack will deploy Ballerano, Ashlee Dean, Molly Birmingham, Nancy Mountcastle and Colby Cobb at the ACC Championship. NC State is coming off a 10th place finish at the Bryan National Collegiate in tough conditions and an even tougher field of 17 teams that included nine top-25 squads. Top-ranked Duke headlines the eight-team field at the ACC Championship that includes four top-40 clubs and No. 41 Miami.

Both tournaments are three-day, 54-hole events with one round of 18 holes played each day, beginning at 8:00 a.m. NC State's men will be paired with Florida State in the first round and the Wolfpack women will play with the Seminoles and Maryland the first day.

NC State's highest finish at an ACC Women's Golf Championship is third in 2002. 2005 marks the 17th annual ACC Women's Golf Championship and the fifth year of NC State women's golf - after a 15-year hiatus from its original five-year run. Under the direction of head coach Page Marsh, the Wolfpack looks to make its fourth straight appearance at the NCAA Regional Championships and aims to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time.

The Wolfpack won the 1990 ACC Men's Golf Championship and has finished the runner-up seven times. This is the 52nd annual ACC Men's Golf Championship and Hall of Fame head coach Richard Sykes is in his 34th year at the helm of NC State. The Pack has its work cut out of itself if NC State is to play this postseason, but a strong showing this weekend will go a long way towards that goal.

A closer look at the NC State men's lineup...

Banks Wood (Sr., Charlotte, N.C.) - leads the team this spring and is coming off an 11th place finish at the Courtyard by Marriott Intercollegiate, shooting three-under

Taylor Crosby (Jr., Athens, Ga.) - the transfer from Georgia at semester break has been a huge boost for the Pack this spring, firing 75.4 and tying for second place last week at the Courtyard by Marriott Intercollegiate with a eight-under total

Jerry Richardson (So., Burlington, N.C.) - leads the squad with a 75.3 stroke average on the year and has the team's leading career stroke avg. as well ... only NC State player to play in all 10 tournaments this year and is coming off a two-over-par performance last week at the Courtyard by Marriott Intercollegiate

Garry Hill (So., Johannesburg, South Africa) - follows a prestigious line of South African imports at NC State that include former All-Americans Justin Walters, Garth Mulroy and Tim Clark ... broke out of small slump last week at the Courtyard by Marriott Intercollegiate with a three-over total

Stephen Lewton (Jr., Milton Keyes, England) - had the team's second best stroke avg. in the fall and is third in the spring ... coming off a +3 Courtyard by Marriott Intercollegiate last week

A closer look at the NC State women's lineup...

Lorraine Ballerano (Jr., Myrtle Beach, S.C.) - leads the team in stroke avg., has played in all eight tournaments this year and put together back-to-back top-10 finishes in March, tying for ninth at the Lady Gamecock Classic and tying for sixth at five-over in the LSU Classic

Ashlee Dean (Sr., Hendersonville, N.C.) - second on the squad in stroke avg. and led the team in the fall ... has played in all eight tournaments, tied for ninth at six-over at the LSU Classic and picked up a hole-in-one at the Mason Rudolph Classic in Nashville on Oct. 3

Molly Birmingham (Jr., Cornelius, N.C.) - seeks consistency showed in the fall when she was second on squad with 75.6 stroke avg.

Nancy Mountcastle (So., Durham, N.C.) - former walk-on has made big shots and continues to help team

Colby Cobb (Sr., Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) - reclaimed spot in lineup after being sidelined all spring with illness ... ranks second in program's history with 87 career rounds played and becomes the first in program's history to play in four ACC Championships

For more information on the ACC Golf Championships visit TheACC.com. Complete results from both tournaments, as well as live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com.

North Carolina State University Athletics

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