University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Finishes Fifth at NCAA Golf Championships
May 27, 2000 | Women's Golf
Lady Vol golf team posts best ever finish at national tournament
SUNRIVER, Ore. -- For the final day of the 2000 NCAA Women's Golf Championships, the Lady Vols brought out the orange shorts and made their presence known on the golf course in more ways than one. Tennessee combined for a final round 301 to claim fifth place and the program's best-ever performance at the national tournament on Saturday. UT fired the second-lowest round of the day as the team trekked through cold, rainy and windy conditions.
The Lady Vols totaled 1206 (301-298-306-301=1206) for the four rounds on the par 72, 6,502-yard Crosswater Course in Sunriver, Ore. It marked the second-lowest total for a Tennessee squad at an NCAA tournament. In 1997, the Big Orange shot 1197 to finish in sixth place. UT ended as the top team from the East Region and the top school from the Southeastern Conference, closing out the 1999-2000 campaign on a high note.
I'm ecstatic about our finish, said interim head coach Judi Pavon. We beat a lot of great schools over the week. It was such a tough round with the weather, and the team really did a good job of hanging in there to finish strong.
Arizona claimed the 2000 NCAA title with a 72-hole total of 1175. The Wildcats also claimed the top two individual slots as Jenna Daniels won medalist honors, finishing one-under. Teammate Julia Kraschinski was just three shots back to take second place. UT closed out the tournament 21 strokes off the lead and 12 strokes ahead of 1999 champion Duke.
A new leader emerged for Tennessee in three of the four rounds over the week in Oregon. Saturday, it was freshman Erin Simmons who carded a one-over 73 after making the turn at two-under par. She finished tied for 68th place, shooting 309 for the 72 holes. The first day, sophomore Tina Schneeberger led the team with an even 72, and sophomore Young-A Yang topped the squad for the second and third rounds, including a one-under 71 on Thursday.
Young-A Yang had a great tournament, Pavon said. I'm happy for her and for her finish among the top 10.
Yang turned in a three-over 75 in the final round to earn a spot among the top 10 at the tournament. She shared the No. 10 slot with two other individuals (76-71-75-75=297), the second-best showing by a Lady Vol in NCAA Championships history. It was her 10th top-25 finish in 11 tournaments on the season. The top 16 individuals received a trophy for their performance. Schneeberger also pushed through on the final day, carding a 77 to finish among the top 20, ending tied for 18th place (72-74-76-77=299). Yang and Schneeberger are two of just four Lady Vols to ever break 300 at an NCAA Tournament (72 holes).
Senior Stacey Bergman finished strong in her final collegiate tournament. She carded a four-over 76 on the last day to finish tied for 81st (76-78-82-76=312). Freshman Rosanna Zernatto rounded out the Lady Vol lineup, closing out her first trip to NCAAs tied for 77th place (77-75-78-81=311).
The orange shorts, although bright, helped the team to success in the final round throughout the postseason. When donning the outfit, the Lady Vols fired its lowest round on the final day at the SEC Championships to finish third. In the last round of the East Regional, Tennessee was again donning the shorts and shot its lowest score of the event to finish fourth and qualify for the NCAA Championships.
The Lady Vols closed out the season with their sixth top-five finish in 11 tournaments on the schedule. The team advanced to the NCAA Championships for the third time in just eight years of existence. Tennessee also qualified for the NCAA Championships in 1994 and 1997, finishing 13th (1258) and sixth (1197) respectively.
2000 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS SCORES1. Arizona 299-285-281-310=1175 2. Stanford 301-298-297-300=1196 3. Texas 296-308-291-303=1198 4. Southern Cal 305-291-297-306=1199 5. TENNESSEE 301-298-306-301=1206 6. Auburn 302-302-300-306=1210 7. Georgia 296-303-296-316=1211 8. Pepperdine 302-312-296-303=1213 9. Purdue 298-303-307-307=1215 10. Louisiana State 313-298-302-303=1216 11. Arizona State 315-305-297-300=1217 New Mexico St. 304-312-295-306=1217 Oregon 295-303-297-322=1217 14. Duke 303-299-296-320=1218 15. San Jose State 308-302-306-309=1225 16. Tulsa 307-301-311-308=1227 17. Wake Forest 308-305-304-311=1228 18. Florida 306-315-299-310=1230 19. Nebraska 310-311-302-316=1239 20. Ohio State 298-310-314-318=1240 Michigan State 303-310-314-313=1240 TCU 311-296-302-331=1240 23. Oklahoma 308-314-308-313=1243 24. Northwestern 313-317-306-311=1247
1. Jenna Daniels, Arizona 73-69-68-77=287 t10. Young-A Yang 76-71-75-75=297 t18. Tina Schneeberger 72-74-76-77=299 t68. Erin Simmons 77-82-77-73=309 t77. Rosanna Zernatto 77-75-78-81=311 t81. Stacey Bergman 76-78-82-76=312
