Feb. 22, 2008
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF women's golf team is set to open its spring season on Sunday with first-round action of the Lady Puerto Rico Classic in Rio Grande. The Knights will be part of an 18-team field that features six teams ranked in the Golfstat Top 25 entering the spring. Purdue, who is ranked No. 11, is the tournament host.
The players will be testing their skills on the 6,000-yard layout at the Coco Beach Golf Course. "I am really excited to get the spring season started," head coach Emilee Klein said. "The girls have been working hard for the past seven to eight weeks since school started back and they are playing really well."
The Knights will feature a line-up of freshman Jessy Tang (Miami, Fla.) at the No. 1 spot, sophomore Leigh Crosby (Athens, Ga.) at No. 2, junior May Tomimbang (Kissimmee, Fla.) at No. 3, junior Stephanie Connelly (Pasadena, Md.) at No. 4 and sophomore Victoria Tomko (Lontzen, Belgium) will play in the No. 5 hole. UCF finished 12th in the classic a year ago as Connelly was the team's top individual finisher, placing 32nd.
Tang recently led the Knights to a tri-match victory over Purdue and No. 41 Iowa State in a tune-up for the spring season on Feb. 9 at NorthShore Golf Club. Tang posted a 36-hole total of 142 (-2) to capture medalist honors and secure the No. 1 spot in Klein's line-up for the spring opener.
"The tri-match was a really good experience for our women and the success in that event has given them a lot of confidence going into an event like this with such a quality field," Klein added. "Our practice sessions have been great so far, we just have to carry that over onto the course in tournament play."
UCF is joined in the field by ranked foes No. 6 Arkansas, No. 10 Georgia, No. 12 Tennessee, No. 14 Kent State and No. 19 Alabama. Iowa State, LSU, Michigan, Minnesota, NC State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, TCU, Texas Tech and Wisconsin are also competing in the classic.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
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