University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Golfers Tied For 17th Place At NCAA Championships
May 20, 2003 | Women's Golf
May 20, 2003
WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. - North Carolina's women's golf team fired a 321 total and is tied for 17th place after the first round of the NCAA Championships. Scores soared the first day as Southern California leads the field of 24 teams with a 17-over-par 305 total. Oklahoma State and Ohio State both stand in second place with 308 totals while Ohio State is third at 309, Florida is fourth at 313 and UCLA is in fifth place with a 314 total.
Virada Nirapathpongporn of Duke and Annie Thurman of Oklahoma State both fired even par 72 and are tied for the individual lead. Four players are two shots back and deadlocked in third place at 74 * Southern California's Irene Cho, Purdue's Kari Damron, Ohio State's Allison Hanna and Stanford's Kim Rowton.
Meaghan Francella, this year's ACC champion, was the low Tar Heel, firing a five-over 77 and is in a tie for 18th place. Ashley Prange is two strokes back at 79 and is tied for 36th place while Abby Spector is tied for 75th at 82 and Meghan Adams and Beth Marushak are both tied for 85th with 83 totals.
The 72-hole event continues through Friday and is being played at Birch Broilermaker Golf Complex Kampen Course which features a par 72, 6,225-yard layout.
TEAM STANDINGS (18 Holes)
| 1. | Southern California | 305 |
| 2. | Oklahoma State | 309 |
| Ohio State | 309 | |
| 4. | Florida | 313 |
| 5. | UCLA | 314 |
| 6. | Pepperdine | 315 |
| 7. | Stanford | 316 |
| Purdue | 316 | |
| 9. | Texas | 317 |
| Auburn | 317 | |
| 11. | Arizona | 318 |
| Duke | 318 | |
| South Carolina | 318 | |
| 14. | Georgia | 320 |
| Nebraska | 320 | |
| Arizona State | 320 | |
| 17. | North Carolina | 321 |
| California | 321 | |
| Vanderbilt | 321 | |
| 20. | Kent State | 324 |
| 21. | Tulsa | 329 |
| Florida State | 329 | |
| 23. | Wisconsin | 340 |
| 24. | Washington State | 343 |
TOP INDIVIDUALS (18 Holes)
| 1. | Virada Nirapathpongporn (Duke) | 72 |
| Annie Thurman (Okla. State) | 72 | |
| 3. | Irene Cho (Sou. Calif.) | 74 |
| Kari Damron (Purdue) | 74 | |
| Allison Hanna (Ohio State) | 74 | |
| Kim Rowton (Stanford) | 74 | |
| 7. | Aimee Cho (Florida) | 75 |
| Charlotte Mayorkas (UCLA) | 75 | |
| Sarah Sasse (Nebraska) | 75 |
CAROLINA'S INDIVIDUALS
| T18 | Meaghan Francella | 77 |
| T36 | Ashley Prange | 79 |
| T75 | Abby Spector | 82 |
| T85 | Meghan Adams | 83 |
| T85 | Beth Marushak | 83 |
![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)
Players Mentioned
