May 8, 2001
CAROLINA IN THE NCAA EAST REGIONAL: Carolina has received a bid to the NCAA East Regional each year since the regional format was instituted in women's golf in 1993. This marks Carolina's ninth appearance in the NCAA East Regional. The Tar Heels advanced on to the NCAA Championship in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1998. In Carolina's eight previous East Regional appearances, the Tar Heel's top performance came in 1993 when they finished in fourth place and Tar Heel Kimberly Byham won the individual title by two strokes with a 213 total after firing a 69 in the final round.
THIS YEAR'S EAST REGIONAL: The Tar Heels will be playing on familiar territory this week as this year's NCAA East Regional will be played at UNC's Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, N.C. Finley Golf Course features a par 72, 6,211-yard layout. Finley has played host to many collegiate tournaments over the years, but this marks the first time an NCAA event has taken place at UNC's home course. Carolina hosted the men's NCAA Championship in 1982, but that event was played at Pinehurst #2 in Pinehurst, N.C.
Twenty-one teams and two individuals will compete in the three-day, 54-hole East Regional this Thursday through Saturday for the chance to move on to the NCAA Championships to be played May 23-26 at the Mission Inn Golf & Tennis Resort in Howie-in-the-Hills, Fla. Eight teams and two individuals will advance to the NCAA Championships from each of the three regionals -- the East Regional in Chapel Hill, the Central Regional in West Lafayette, Ind. and the West Regional in Corvallis, Ore.
The teams competing in this year's NCAA East Regional are as follows (MasterCard Collegiate Golf Ranking in parentheses): Duke (1), Auburn (3), Georgia (6), Pepperdine (11), Wake Forest (16), TCU (18), Northwestern (19), Vanderbilt (21), Michigan (25), South Florida (28), New Mexico (30), San Jose State (38), South Carolina (39), North Carolina (41), Campbell (43), Florida State (45), Kansas State (47), Charleston Southern, Jackson State, Louisville and San Diego State.
CAROLINA'S SPRING CAMPAIGN: Carolina has posted three top 10 finishes so far this spring. The Tar Heels finished in fourth place at the ACC Championship played at Disney's Palm Course in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Carolina was led by freshman Ashley Prange who finished eighth with a 229 total. Beth Lever finished in 16th place at 239 while Shelley McKevitt tied for 17th at 240, Heather Angell finished 19th at 241 and Abby Spector tied for 21st at 243.
The Tar Heels finished seventh at the Lady Gamecock Classic in Blythewood, S.C., where they were led by Lever who finished 19th. McKevitt finished in 22nd place while Prange tied for 24th and junior Britta Olson placed 52nd.
Carolina finished ninth at the Bryan Park National Collegiate in Brown Summit, N.C., the most recent outing for the Tar Heels. Prange was the low Tar Heel as she tied for 25th place. McKevitt tied for 33rd place while Spector tied for 43rd place, Lever tied for 49th and Angell tied for 74th.
In its other spring events, Carolina finished in 12th place at the SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., and finished 14th at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga.
CAROLINA'S FALL CAMPAIGN: Carolina posted one top five and three top 10 finishes in the fall. In the final event of the fall campaign, the Tar Heels finished fourth at the Lady Paladin Invitational in Greenville, S.C. Freshman Ashley Prange was low for Carolina after carding a tie for seventh place. Heather Angell tied for 15th place while Abby Spector and Shelley McKevitt tied for 35th and Beth Lever tied for 57th.
Carolina finished in eighth place at the Dodge ACC/SEC Invitational in Destin, Fla., the first tournament of the fall campaign. The Tar Heels were led by Prange who posted a sixth-place finish and Angell who tied for 19th.
Carolina tallied a ninth-place finish at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship in Knoxville, Tenn. The Heels were led by Spector who tied for 15th place and McKevitt who tied for 34th.
CAROLINA IN THE POLLS: Carolina is ranked 41st in boh the MasterCard Collegiate Golf Rankings and the GolfWeek/Sagarin College Rankings.
PRANGE LEADS WAY FOR TAR HEELS: Ashley Prange, a freshman from Noblesville. Ind., will be playing the number one spot for the Heels. Prange has played in all of Carolina's outings this year and has carded three top 10 and six top 30 finishes. She posted an eighth-place finish at the ACC Championship while her other two top 10 finishes came during the fall campaign when she placed sixth at the Dodge ACC/SEC Invitational and tied for seventh at the Lady Paladin Invitational. Also in the fall, she tied for 26th place at the Franklin Street Trust Tar Heel Invitational. This spring, Prange tied for 24th place at the Lady Gamecock Classic and tied for 25th at the Bryan Park National Collegiate.
McKEVITT THREE-YEAR STARTER FOR CAROLINA: Shelley McKevitt, a junior from Reading Berkshire, England, has played in all eight of Carolina's tournaments this year and has posted three top 25 finishes. This spring, she tied for 17th place at the ACC Championship, tied for 20th place at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic and finished 22nd at the Lady Gamecock Classic. Her low finish in the fall was a tie for 34th place at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship.
SPECTOR LOOKS TO BETTER LAST YEAR'S STELLAR ACC PERFORMANCE: Abby Spector, a sophomore from Waterville, Maine, has posted three top 35 finishes. She tied for 21st place at the ACC Champiionship this spring. Last fall, she tied for 15th place at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship and tied for 35th at the Lady Paladin Invitational.
LEVER AND ANGELL ROUND OUT LINEUP: Beth Lever, a junior from Kiawah Island, S.C., has played in all of Carolina's tournaments this year. Lever's top two finishes came this spring when she tallied a 16th-place finish at the ACC Championship and a 19th-place finish at the Lady Gamecock Classic. Her top performance in the fall was a tie for 43rd place at the Dodge ACC/SEC Invitational.
Heather Angell, a junior from Winston-Salem, N.C., has played in all of Carolina's tournaments this year and is a three-year starter for the Tar Heels. She posted thtee top 20 performances -- one in the spring and two in the fall. This spring, she finished in 19th place at the ACC Championship. Last fall, she tied for 15th place at the Lady Paladin Invitational and tied for 19th at the Dodge ACC/SEC Invitational.
![Images from the first round of the 2026 Gators Invitational on Friday, March 6, 2026 at Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. [Photo by Matt Pendleton Photography for North Carolina Tar Heels Athletics]](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Func.sidearmsports.com%2Fimages%2F2026%2F3%2F7%2F260306-NCAAWGOLF-UNC-GatorsInvitational-0828-MattPendleton_copy.jpg&height=340&type=webp)
