May 5, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. - The UCF women's golf team is currently in Gainesville for the NCAA East Regional, participating in NCAAs for the second year in a row and the eighth time in school history. The Knights are one of 21 teams at Florida's Mark Bostick Golf Course who will vie for one of the eight berths in the NCAA Championships to be held May 19-22 at the Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md.
The 54-hole event will feature single rounds on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the par-70, 6,074-yard course.
UCF head coach Emilee Klein is excited to see her team compete in the national showcase event and offered some thoughts for UCFAthletics.com on Tuesday prior to the team's departure.
How has the preparation gone?
"We've had some really good practices. The girls seem to be striking the ball well and we are excited about the opportunity. School is over - we did well - and we can focus solely on the tournament now. We're just excited and ready to go and hopefully we'll have a good week."
What is this weekend's lineup?
"It's the same as our finish at the C-USA Championship (where the Knights finished a best-ever second): Mayule Tomimbang, Elisa Aoki, Victoria Tomko, Katie Detlefsen and Stephanie Connelly.
What role will your two seniors, Tomimbang and Connelly, play in the team's success at regionals?
"If they play well, the sky is the limit for us. With their leadership, we should be able to go far. They have both played on this golf course. They like the golf course. If we put it all together, I feel like we have a chance."
What is your impression of the course having played there before in the 2007 Gator Invitational?
"It sets up really well for us. It plays pretty firm. If we use our heads like we know how to do, it could be a very good golf course for us. It has small greens. It's an older style golf course and one where I think the girls will play really well."
Will the school-record second-place finish at the C-USA Championship carry over to NCAAs?
"I hope so. I think that they have been working really hard and their games look good. We've had a few weeks off. Hopefully now we can just go out there and score well."
UCF played one of the nation's toughest schedules this year. For example, all 18 schools from the UCF Challenge in March made the NCAA regionals, including nine at the East Regional. Does that help eliminate the awe factor at an event like this?
"That's ideally why you play a tough schedule, so that when you get in this situation, you know that you can play against the best teams. They know what's there. It's just a matter of going out and playing. We're not as worried about playing against the other teams. We just want to play our best golf. Whoever plays the best golf this week will win and you're playing against the golf course and not necessarily your opponent. We're going to try and shoot well and get in the top eight. We're just trying to play the best golf that we can."
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For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.