March 24, 2010
By Sean Simon
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF women's golf team heads to Athens, Ga. this weekend to compete with some of the nation's best at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic hosted by the University of Georgia. Twelve of the nation's top 25 teams in this week's Golfstat rankings are in the field led by No. 2 Auburn, No. 4 Duke, No. 6 Alabama and No. 9 Wake Forest.
Play will occur at the University of Georgia Golf Course, a par-72, 6,335-yard course on the outskirts of the small Bulldog-centric town. The teams will play a single round of 18 holes on both Friday and Saturday mornings with Sunday's final round teeing off with a shotgun start Sunday morning.
Among the twelve top 25 teams are 11 which advanced to the 2009 NCAA Championship.
"If we play well we can play with anybody, so I want them to go there with the mindset of playing to win the golf tournament," head coach Courtney Trimble said. "If we come up short we're still at the top of a really good field but I think that mindset has worked for us all year and I want them to continue that."
The Knights will line up in a refreshed order based on performances from the Tiger/Wave Classic and their one day matchup with Harvard. Freshman Valentina Fontaine (Santiago, Chile) will lead the Knights for the first time in the 2010 spring season. Fontaine has been the Knights' top player this season with a 76.21 18-hole stroke average and three top 10 finishes.
Sophomore Elisa Aoki (Bradenton, Fla.) is in the second slot for UCF followed by freshman Carolin Pinegger (Marquartstein, Germany) and junior Katie Detlefsen (Eagan, Minn.). Rounding out the UCF lineup is senior Victoria Tomko (Lontzen, Belgium). Each of these Knights has also each recorded at least one top 10 finish at an event this year.
The Knights look to restore their place among collegiate golf's best after a challenging weekend playing top teams at the Tiger/Wave Classic.
"They learned about themselves [in New Orleans], and how all they can do is control their own game, and not worry about what other teams are doing or how good they are," Trimble said. "If they do that we can compete with anybody, I truly believe that."
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.