March 11, 2007
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Sophomore Stephanie Connelly (Pasadena, Md./The Pendleton School) made five birdies in her round and carded a 71 (+1) to lead the UCF women's golfers in final round action at the SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational on Sunday. The Knights finished 10th in the 16-team field as the host Lady Gators took the team title by 16 strokes (876, +36).
Connelly and senior Kristy McLaughlin (Wosaga Beach, Ontario, Canada/Collingwood Collegiate Institute) each turned in their best rounds of the tournament as the Knights posted a team score of 912 (+72). McLaughlin shot a 76 (+6) on the Par 70, 5,927-yard University of Florida Golf Course.
Sandra Gal of Florida won medalist honors by five strokes over TCU's Catherine Matranga after firing a 71 (+1) in her final round. Gal was at even-par for the tournament, turning a three-round total of 210 (E).
Freshman Sara Hurwitch (Potomac Falls, Va./Dominion) was the top individual finisher for the Knights, posting a three-round total of 226 (+16). Hurwitch finished in a tie for 24th, while Connelly was two strokes back at 228 (+18) in a tie for 33rd. Freshman Victoria Tomko (Lontzen, Belgium/Bradenton Academy) finished in a tie for 40th (232, +22) after a final round 79.
McLaughlin ended in a tie for 54th (236, +26), while freshman Leigh Crosby (Athens, Ga./Oconee) rounded out the UCF individuals in a tie for 64th (239, +29).
UCF returns to the links in Crosby's hometown of Athens, Ga., in two weeks at the Liz Murphy Intercollegiate. The University of Georgia will host the tournament from March 24-26. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF athletics.
Team Leaderboard - FinalRank Team Totals1 Florida 293-292-291 = 876 (+36)2 TCU 297-291-302 = 890 (+50)3 Michigan State 301-288-303 = 892 (+52)4 Tennessee 300-298-301 = 899 (+59)5 USF 304-297-300 = 901 (+61)6 Louisville 300-294-308 = 902 (+62)7 North Carolina 300-296-307 = 903 (+63)8 Florida State 305-305-297 = 907 (+67)9 Kent State 304-307-298 = 909 (+69)10 UCF 309-300-303 = 912 (+72)11 Florida International 307-311-304 = 922 (+82)12 Michigan 309-304-325 = 938 (+98)13 Mississippi State 308-320-319 = 947 (+107)14 Georgia State 317-307-325 = 949 (+109)15 Mississippi 323-302-329 = 954 (+114)16 UNC-Greensboro 320-313-324 = 957 (+117)
Individual LeaderboardRank Player (School) Total1 Sandra Gal (Florida) 69-70-71 = 210 (E)2 Catherine Matranga (TCU) 71-70-74 = 215 (+5)3 Caroline Westrup (Florida State) 72-77-67 = 216 (+6)4 Christina Jones (USF) 73-74-70 = 217 (+7)5 Tiffany Chuddy (Florida) 75-75-68 = 218 (+8)
UCF IndividualsSara Hurwitch (T24) 73-76-77 = 226 (+16)Stephanie Connelly (T33) 82-75-71 = 228 (+18)Victoria Tomko (T40) 80-73-79 = 232 (+22)Kristy McLaughlin (T54) 77-83-76 = 236 (+26)Leigh Crosby (T64) 79-76-84 = 239 (+29)