'Cats Move Up One Spot; Finish 12th at NCAA Regionals
May 12, 2007
Final 2007 NCAA Central Regional Championships Results
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Northwestern's women's golf team, which entered the NCAA Central Regional Championships as the 12th seed, moved up one spot on the final day of the Championships with a final-round score of 22-over 306 to match its seeding and finish the 54-hole tournament in 12th. The Wildcats needed a big rally on the final day of the Championships to move into the top eight in the team race and make their first NCAA National Championships appearance since 2000. Although the 'Cats moved a little closer to the cut line, the deficit proved to be too much to overcome, as they finished at 67-over 919 (308-305-306), 18 shots behind eighth-place Michigan State. USC won the Central Regional with a 54-hole score of 17-over 869. In a fitting conclusion to her collegiate career, senior Alice Kim (Los Angeles, Calif./Brentwood) led the 'Cats on the final day like she has done repeatedly for the past four years. The senior fired a final-round score of 1-over 72 -- the Wildcats' best individual round of the tournament -- to finish at 16-over 229 (76-81-72) in a tie for 46th. The 2006 Big Ten medalist ends her time at Northwestern with the best career stroke average in school history (two years minimum), finishing with an average of 75.9, over a stroke and a half better than the second-place average held by Elizabeth Burden (77.5).
Senior Liliana Alvarez (Durango, Mexico/American School of Durango) finished right behind Kim, shooting a final-round 77 to end up one shot behind her fellow senior and earn a tie for 52nd at 17-over 230 (75-78-77). Even though she only played one season with the Wildcats, the Mexico native also will leave her mark on the Northwestern record books, ending the season with a stroke average of 75.7 -- the fourth-best single-season stroke average in NU history.
Brittany Johnston (Akron, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) came through for the 'Cats on the final day, shooting her best score of the tournament on the Regional's highest-scoring day. The junior fired a 6-over 77 -- tying Alvarez for the Wildcats' second-best score of the day -- to move 13 spots up the leaderboard and finish in a tie for 73rd at 24-over 237 (81-79-77). For most of the day, it appeared that sophomore Jennifer Hong (Windermere, Fla./The First Academy) was going to end the Regional with the Wildcats' highest individual finish. However, some difficulties down the stretch forced Hong back into a tie with Alvarez at 17-over 230 (76-74-80) and a tie for 52nd in the individual race. Rounding out the scoring for the 'Cats was senior Heather Scholten (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian), who concluded the best year of her collegiate career with a 54-hole score of 25-over 238 (81-74-83) and finished in a tie for 77th. The team captain finished the season with a scoring average of 77.59, besting her junior-season average by nearly .3 shots per round for the best season average-wise of her collegiate career. Final results for the Central Regional can be found at NCAA Central Regional Championships, while additional information for the Regional can be found at the University of Michigan web site. |
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