University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina's Women's Golf Team Receives NCAA Regional Bid
April 30, 2002 | Women's Golf
April 30, 2002
Chapel Hill, N.C. - North Carolina's women's golf team was one of 21 teams to receive a bid to participate in the NCAA East Regional. The 54-hole event will be played May 9-11 at LSU's University Club in Baton Rouge.
In addition to the 21 teams, three individuals received a bid to play in the regional. The top eight teams and two individuals not on those eight teams will advance to the NCAA Championships to be played May 21-24 at the Washington National Golf Club in Auburn, Wash.
Four Atlantic Coast Conference teams received a bid to the East Regional. In addition to Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest and NC State will be among the participants.
The Tar Heels, ranked 31st in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, have posted three top five finishes this year. They posted a second-place finish at the Franklin Street Trust Tar Heel Invitational and a fifth-place finish at the Mason Rudolph Championships, both played last fall. Carolina carded a fifth-place finish at the ACC Championships.
"We are thrilled and excited to be playing in the East Regional," says North Carolina Head Coach Sally Austin. "I think this is the toughest of the three regionals and we hope to be at our best."
The Tar Heels are led by sophomore Ashley Prange, from Noblesville, Ind., who has garnered the top spot in the lineup for most of her two-year career. Prange has carded five top 10 and eight top 25 finishes so far this year. In her most recent outing, the ACC Championships, she posted a tie for seventh place. Abby Spector, a junior from Waterville, Maine, has posted two top 10 and five top 30 finishes this year while Beth Lever, a senior from Kiawah Island, S.C., has carded five top 25 finishes this year. Meghan Adams, a junior from Dover, Del., and Romi Irons, a freshman from Dublin, Ohio, round out the Tar Heel lineup. Adams tied for 14th place at the ACC Championships while Irons tied for 25th.
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 10th appearance in the NCAA East Regional.
Players Mentioned
