NC State
Wild Eggs Cardinal Cup
Pack Wins Cardinal Cup
9/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Sept. 20, 2011
SIMPSONVILLE, KY. – Bolstered by a pair of top-five finishes from junior Amanda Baker and freshman Augusta James, NC State won the team title by two shots at the Wild Eggs Cardinal Cup Tuesday.
“It’s a win, and I’m really proud of the golf I saw,” said NC State head coach Page Marsh. “I know that the first day, we felt like we left some shots out there, but today they just hung tough when they needed to. It was a hard-fought victory.”
Baker fired a second round 74 to finish one shot off the lead and score the first runner-up finish of her career. The British Columbia native’s previous career-best finish came at last season’s LSU Invitational where she placed 11th.
The difference between medalist honors and a runner-up amounted to a single hole, as Baker suffered a triple bogey on the par-4 15th, but the junior remained upbeat about the experience.
“I hit the ball very well all week, but struggled a little with the putting,” said Baker. “I was in good shape to win. I gave myself a chance, but had a triple that cost me. Overall, though, I’m going to take it as a positive. I know that I can be in contention in tournaments, and hopefully in the near future I’ll win.”
James set a new career-best, as well, holding strong in fourth place alone over the final day with her 2-over par 74 to remain one shot behind Baker.
For the Wolfpack, the team title marks the eighth in school history, and the first since the 2008 UNCW Lady Seahawk Classic. Last season, NC State’s best finish came with a tie for first at the UNCG Starmount Fall Classic. However, the fifth-score tiebreaker went against the Pack.
Brittany Marchand slipped to 12th on Tuesday with a 5-over par 77, but still claimed her best finish of the young season.
Playing as an individual, sophomore Maureen Dunnagan impressed, coming just shy of a career-best finish by placing 17th after a final round 75.
Vivian Tsui contributed to the Pack’s team score with her 3-over par 75 to climb into a tie for 30th, her second top-30 individual finish of the year.
Sophomore Ana Menendez struggled in the final round, carding a 79 to settle into 41st.
For the second-straight tournament, all five golfers counted a score toward the team total, illustrating an important aspect of collegiate golf that Marsh continues to stress.
“It’s really a team effort, and they’re very supportive of each other,” said Marsh. “It’s a total effort in attitude and energy in this sport, and this team has that. They love the game and leave it all out there.”
With the win, the best start in program history continues, as the Pack improves to 30-3-1 through two tournaments. The Tar Heel Invitational represents the next stop on the schedule, teeing off October 7 in Chapel Hill.
1. NC State 296-300--596
2. East Carolina 300-298--598
3. Missouri 305-300--605
4. Louisville 307-301--608
5. Penn State 305-305--610
6. East Tenn. State 311-303--614
7. Memphis 308-309--617
T8. Akron 311-307--618
T8. Furman 313-305--618
T8. Middle Tennessee 313-305--618
11. Maryland 307-312--619
12. Cincinnati 320-304--624
13. Xavier 320-312--632
14. Morehead State 320-318--638
T2. Amanda Baker 72-74--146
4. Augusta James 73-74--147
T12. Brittany Marchand 74-77--151
T17. Maureen Dunnagan 77-75--152*
T30. Vivian Tsui 79-75--154
T41. Ana Menendez 77-79--156
