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'Cats Within Striking Distance of Top Eight at NCAA Regionals

Liliana Alvarez leads Northwestern on day one with a 4-over 75

Senior Liliana Alvarez shot a 4-over 75 to lead the 'Cats on day one at the NCAA Central Regional Championships.

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May 10, 2007

NCAA Central Regional Results (Round One)
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Northwestern's women's golf team, which is ranked 34th in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Index, did not start play Thursday at the NCAA Central Regional Championships exactly how it had hoped, but is still within striking distance of an NCAA National Championships berth after an opening-round total of 24-over 308.

The Wildcats, who were seeded 12th heading into the Regional, find themselves in 13th place with two rounds remaining. The 'Cats trail 12th-place SMU by five shots, but more importantly, trail eighth-place Michigan State by 13 strokes.

The top eight teams in each Regional qualify for the NCAA National Championships. Northwestern is seeking its second National Championships appearance, with the Wildcats' only other appearance coming in 2000.

USC leads the Regional after day one with a team score of 1-under 283.

Senior Liliana Alvarez (Durango, Mexico/American School of Durango) paced the 'Cats on day one. The 70th-ranked individual in the country shot an opening-round, 4-over 75 and sits in a tie for 33rd in the individual race.

Both Alice Kim (Los Angeles, Calif./Brentwood) and Jennifer Hong (Windermere, Fla./The First Academy) are only one shot behind Alvarez on the leaderboard and tied for 44th, but they took very different routes to get there. Kim capped an up-and-down round with a birdie on her final hole to finish at 5-over 76, while Hong was more consistent with 13 pars and five bogeys.

Rounding out the scoring for the 'Cats were senior Heather Scholten (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) and junior Brittany Johnston (Akron, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit), who both shot 10-over 81's in the opening round.

Second-round play for the Central Regional begins tomorrow at 7 a.m. CT, with the final round being played on Saturday. However, the 'Cats will not begin play tomorrow until 11:30 a.m., as Johnston leads the team off the first tee.

Additional information for the Central Regional can be found at the University of Michigan website, while live scoring for the Regional can be found at NCAA Central Regional Championships.