2007-08 UCF Women's Golf Stats
May 6, 2008
Athens, Ga. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF women's golf team is set to compete in a field of 21 teams at the 2008 NCAA East Regional at the University of Georgia Golf Course this weekend in Athens, Ga. First-round action at all three NCAA Regional sites begins on Thursday.
The top eight teams and the top three individuals from each regional who are not a member of a top-eight team will advance to the NCAA Championships on May 20-23 at the University of New Mexico Championship Course in Albuquerque, N.M.
"We are really excited to be here," Klein said after her team arrived in Athens on Tuesday. "We have been playing well this spring. Our players have seen the course having played here already and it sets up really well for our team. Everyone is excited and now we have the opportunity to get to nationals - we just have to go out and play well."
This will be the Knights second trip to the Bulldogs' home course this spring after the squad placed 17th at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in late March. UCF is making its first appearance in regional play under third-year head coach Emilee Klein and the program's first since the 2002 season when the squad competed at the South Region in Baton Rouge, La.
UCF will feature a line-up of two juniors, a sophomore and two freshmen. Jessy Tang (Miami, Fla.), who is coming off her best collegiate finish at the Conference USA Championship, will play from the No. 1 spot. Junior May Tomimbang leads the team with a 75.81 stroke average and will play from the No. 2 spot.
Sophomore Leigh Crosby (Athens, Ga.) returns to her home town to play from the No. 3 position for the Knights. Junior Stephanie Connelly (Pasadena, Md.) posted a team-best four rounds of par or better during the season and will play from the No. 4 position.
Freshman Katie Detlefesen (Eagan, Minn.) rounds out the line-up for the Knights, playing out of the No. 5 spot. The top four players in the Knights' line-up were named All-Conference USA by the league's head coaches. Tomimbang was a first-team member, Tang and Connelly were both second team members, while Crosby was a third-team selection.
The field of 21 teams will look similar to the Knights, who have competed against many of these teams throughout competition during the season. No. 1 Duke is the top seed at the regional. Florida, host Georgia, Auburn and Wake Forest round out the top five seeds in Athens. The Knights enter the event ranked 42nd in the Golfstat/Sagarin Performance Index and will be the 15th-seed at the tournament.
UCF will tee off with Conference USA foe East Carolina and Georgia State in the opening round. The trio of teams will begin play at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Live statistics will be available at the www.golfstat.com.
REGIONAL NOTEBOOK
WELCOME BACK ...
Under the guidance of third-year head coach Emilee Klein, the UCF women's golf team earned its first bid to an NCAA Regional since the 2002 South Regional hosted by LSU in Baton Rouge, La. Overall, this will be the program's seventh appearance in regional action and the team will be vying for its second trip to the NCAA Championship in school history. The Knights advanced to the NCAA Championship in La Quinta, Calif, in 1996 where the team placed 15th. This will be the fifth time UCF has participated in the East Regional. The team's other two regional appearances were at the Central Regional (2001) and South Regional (2002).
FOURTIFIED ...
The UCF women's golf team placed four members on the All-Conference USA teams annouced following the league championship in El Paso, Texas. It was the first time since the 2001 season that a quartet of Knights earned all-league honors (Atlantic Sun). Junior May Tomimbang garnered first team honors becoming the first Knight since Federica Piovano, who also earned A-Sun Freshman of the Year honors, to earn such an accolade. Junior Stephanie Connelly and freshman Jessy Tang were both named to the second team, while sophomore Leigh Crosby was a third team honoree. Connelly has earned back-to-back all league honors after being named to the third team in 2007.
CROSBY, KNIGHTS ON FAMILIAR SOIL ...
Sophomore Leigh Crosby and the Knights will return to the University of George Golf Course for the second time in a little over a month when the team tees off for NCAA East Regional first-round action this Thursday. Going up against one of the top fields, the Knights placed 17th in the Liz Murphey College Classic, held March 26-28. Crosby, who is a native of Athens, was a prep standout at Ocoee High School and has played the course numerous times.
FAMILIAR FOES ...
UCF played one of the toughest schedules in the country and enter regional play ranked 43rd in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. The Knights will once again face a challenging, but familiar field in Athens. Among the 21 teams in the East Regional that UCF has already participated in a tournament with this season are: No. 1. Duke, No. 5 Florida, No. 7 Georgia, No. 9 Auburn, No. 15 Wake Forest, No. 16 Tennessee, No. 21 New Mexico, No. 23 Virginia, Vanderbilt, Louisville, South Carolina, Furman and East Carolina.
KNIGHTS' LINE-UP ...
1. Jessy Tang (Fr. - Miami, Fla.): Tang is coming off her best finish as a collegian, tying for 11th at the Texas Roadhouse Conference USA Championship in El Paso (April 14-16) ... Leads the team with three Top-20 finishes.
2. May Tomimbang (Jr. - Kissimmee, Fla.): Tomimbang has been the most consistent player on the team, leading the squad with a 75.81 stroke average ... Best finish was a tie for 14th at the C-USA Championship.
3. Leigh Crosby (So. - Athens, Ga.): Crosby returns to her hometown for East Regional play ... Best finish came at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic (Feb. 24-26) when she became the only golfer during Klein's tenure to post a pair of sub-par rounds in the same tournament.
4. Stephanie Connelly (Jr. - Pasadena, Md.): Connelly leads the team with nine tournament appearances, including a victory at the NorthShore Shootout ... Also leads the Knights with four rounds of par or better this season.
5. Katie Detlefsen (Fr. - Eagan, Mn.): Detlefsen worked her way back into the line-up for the first time during the spring at the C-USA Championship ... Counted toward the team score in 10 of 14 tournament rounds.
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