Aug. 2, 2011
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF women's golf head coach Courtney Trimble announced her team's 2011-12 schedule Tuesday, and the Knights will again compete in some of the nation's top tournaments. The difficult slate includes a pair of events that UCF will host.
Considered to be one of the premier tournaments in the country, the UCF Challenge is set for Feb. 12-14 at the RedTail Golf Club in nearby Sorrento. In addition to the Knights, the field includes Auburn, Texas, South Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Kentucky and Tulane.
UCF will also join East Carolina April 9-10 to host the Knights and Pirates Invitational at the Suntree Country Club in Melbourne. The field for the event features Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas Tech and Illinois.
"It is always a benefit to play at RedTail," Trimble said. "We love playing that course. We will play against great teams and it is a good way for us to start the spring. The event in April in Melbourne will be a great way for us to end the regular season."
The Knights will play throughout the country during the campaign. Five of the squad's tournaments are in Florida, and UCF will also compete in five other states.
The slate gets underway Sept. 12-14 at the Dale McNamara Invitational in Tulsa, Okla. UCF will then participate in the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational in Lexington, Ky., from Sept. 30-Oct. 2.
After playing in the Lady Northern Invitational in French Lick, Ind., Oct. 10-11, the Knights will conclude the fall in San Antonio, Texas, at the Briggs Ranch Golf Club.
"All fall we will see teams from all over the United States," Trimble said. "We will play on different surfaces and at different golf courses. We are going to be young with four freshmen and no seniors, so we will throw them into the fire early."
All five of UCF's regular-season spring events are in Florida. After the UCF Challenge, the Knights are slated to play in the Central District Invitational in Parrish (Feb. 20-21). UCF will then head south for the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, March 5-6.
Before concluding the regular season in Melbourne, the Knights will again participate in the SunTrust Gator Women's Invitational in Gainesville (March 16-18).
The Conference USA Championship is back in Gulf Shores, Ala. The event will be held April 23-25. This past season, the Knights finished fifth out of 10 teams at the tournament. The winner of the event will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.
Regional play starts May 10, and the NCAA Championship is set for May 22-25, in Nashville, Tenn.
"We're young, but we're experienced. This schedule will best prepare us for the postseason," Trimble said.
Trimble's squad returns several letterwinners from a year ago, including Carolin Pinegger, who earned All-C-USA Third Team honors. The Knights also have a talented freshman class that includes three standouts from Florida.