University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols Take Second Place at Mercedes Championships
October 15, 2000 | Women's Golf
Young-A Yang nabs second place with 1-under 71
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 15, 2000) -- The University of Tennessee women's golf team finished the 2000 Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championships in second place 10 strokes behind three-time champion Duke. Junior Young-A Yang (Tae-Gu City, South Korea) shot a 1-under 71 on October 15 to finish in second place with a 217, the best finish by a Lady Vol golfer in the history of tournament. Yang was beaten by Duke freshman Virada Nirapathpongporn, who carded a 3-under 69 to finish with a 215 to capture medallist honors. Finishing in third place in the team category was Northwestern with a three-day total of 903.
Duke came into the day with just a two-shot lead over the Orange and White but strong play from the entire Blue Devil squad enabling them to build a 10-stroke advantage. Not one of the Duke players shot over 75 for the day. The win marks the third time Duke has captured the tournament in the event's four year history; with last year's two-stroke defeat to Georgia the lone exception. The team total of 890 is the lowest at the Mercedes Championships.
"I am most proud of this team that they didn't let the fact they were struggling a little bit bother them," stated Duke head coach Dan Brooks. "On this course, the tournament is never over until everyone is finished playing. I remember in 1997 when Tulsa had an 11-shot lead heading into the 14th hole and we ended up winning the whole thing by 10 shots. I think that win let the team know that we can battle in any conditions. I want to congratulate Northwestern and Tennessee on a great effort, they definitely pushed us today."
The star for the Blue Devils was Nirapathpongporn, who shot a 4-over 76 on Friday only to roar back to shoot 5-under over the last two days thanks to rounds of 70 and 69, respectively. Her three-day total of 215 tied for the second-lowest by an individual in tournament history.
"It's great to have my first collegiate victory come so early in my career," said Nirapathpongporn. "I didn't play so well on the first day, but I knew that if I stayed patient I would be fine."
Six shots behind Nirapathpongporn in third was teammate Candy Hannemann who finished with a 221. Hannemann was in a position to win but made an eight on the 15th to fall out of the lead.
"Today was a really great day for our team," said Hannemann. "I was focused and played well, but I am disappointed over that one hole."
The Lady Vols recorded their best-ever finish at the Mercedes Championships by finishing in second place with a three-day total of 900. The Orange and White played consistent golf all weekend by shooting rounds of 302, 297, and 301 while taking home their second consecutive second-place finish and third straight top-five team finish.
"I am excited about the way we played all weekend," stated Tennessee head coach Judi Pavon. "To shoot 900 for three days is awesome. I am proud that we played so well at our home tournament. Young-A played great and that has been her goal since she first came here to win this tournament, so I know she was giving it her all. Erin [Simmons] and Carrie [Cole] have been a big help to us this year. In the past, we have been used to having only one good score, but this year they are chipping in and it makes us a more complete team."
Yang finished in second after rounds of 73, 73 and 71 for a 217, which tied for the fourth-best score at Gettysvue. The two-time honorable mention All-American has now finished three tournaments no lower than 11th place and also matched her career best finish at an event.
"I am happy with my score, but I am not satisfied with just bringing home second," said Yang. "I just wanted to play well at our home tournament. Although we have not fared that well here in the past, this week we just saw the Mercedes as another tournamentonly this time with more support."
Sophomore Erin Simmons (The Woodlands, Texas) continued her stellar play with a second consecutive round of 74 to finish with a total of 225 to tie for tenth. This marks the third straight top-ten finish for the sophomore. Carrie Cole (Mansfield, Texas) posted another top-25 finish with a three-day total of 232 to end tied for 24th. Junior Tina Schneeberger (WR-Neustadt, Austria) who has played brilliantly all season, including the first two rounds, struggled today and fired an 87 for a three day total of 234. Freshman Tai Perry rounded out the scoring for the Lady Vols on Sunday with her 81 to end with a 240. Senior Anna Umemura played as an individual and shot a 261.
The Lady Vols will now take a couple of weeks off from competition as they prepare for the Rolex Golf World/Palmetto Dunes Collegiate Invitational Nov. 3rd - 5th.
 Duke Captures 2000 Mercedes Championships |  Lady Vols Finish In Second Place In 2000 Mercedes Tournament |
 Virada Nirapathpongporn of Duke Accepts Mercedes Championship Trophy |  Young-A Yang of UT Accepts Runner-up Trophy |
 Duke Coach Dan Brooks Receives Trophy |  Duke's Virada Nirapathpongporn Makes Remarks After Winning |
