University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina's Women's Golf Team Heads To ACC Championship
April 13, 2004 | Women's Golf
April 13, 2004
*CAROLINA IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT: Carolina has captured the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship once in the tournament's 15 years of existence. The Tar Heels won the title in 1992 at Bermuda Run Country Club in Advance, N.C., when the Heels posted a 921 total and defeated Florida State by two strokes. Carolina has been the runner-up on four occasions -- in 1984, 1985, 1993 and 1994.
Two Tar Heels have captured the ACC Individual Championship as Meaghan Francella won the title last year and Debbie Doniger captured the championship in 1992 when she led Carolina to the team title as well. Last year Francella carded a two-over-par 215 total posting a one-stroke victory over Duke's Elizabeth Janangelo and Wake Forest's Nuria Clau while in '92 Doniger carded a 220 total to post a three-stroke victory over Florida State's Mary-Lee Cobick. Rachel Poston tied for runner-up honors in the 1995 ACC Tournament.
An ACC champion has been crowned in women's golf in each of the following years: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. Duke has won the most titles, taking home 11 championships.
*THIS YEAR'S ACC TOURNAMENT: This year's ACC Tournament will be played at Salem Glen Country Club in Clemmons, N.C. This is the fourth time the conference championship has been played at Salem Glen, the other times coming in 2000, 2002 and 2003 when Duke won the team title each time. Carolina's Meaghan Francella captured the individual championship last year while the Tar Heels carded a third-place finish. This marks the 13th time in 16 years that the ACC Championship will be played in North Carolina. The tournament has also taken place in Florida twice (Tallahassee and Lake Buena Vista) and Georgia once (Stockbridge).
*CAROLINA'S SPRING CAMPAIGN: Carolina has captured two team championships this spring. The Tar Heels began the spring campaign with a win at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic in Baton Rouge, La., and the next week they won the Lady Gamecock Classic in Blythewood, S.C. Carolina senior Ashley Prange captured the individual title in both of those events. Senior Meaghan Francella finished in third place at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic while freshman Katie Miller tied for 10th. In the Lady Gamecock Classic, Miller tied for runner-up honors and Francella tied for fifth place. In Carolina's other two outings, the Tar Heels posted eighth-place finishes in both the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational in Austin, Tex., and the Bryan National Collegiate in Browns Summit, N.C. Prange posted a ninth-place finish at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational and Francella finished one-stroke back in 10th place. At the Bryan National Collegiate, Prange and Francella tied for 11th place and Miller tied for 30th.
*CAROLINA'S FALL CAMPAIGN: Carolina's top performance of the fall came at the ACC/SEC Challenge, the final event of the fall campaign, where the Tar Heels tied for fourth place. Senior Meaghan Francella finished in 10th place while senior Ashley Prange finished 22nd and sophomore Romi Irons tied for 24th. Carolina carded an eighth-place finish at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational played at UNC's Finley Golf Course. Francella tallied a fourth-place finish while Prange tied for fifth. The Tar Heels posted a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Fall Preview in Auburn, Ala., where Prange tied for 12th place and Francella tied for 22nd. At the Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tenn., Carolina finished 13th and freshman Katie Miller was the low Tar Heel, tying for 17th place in the individual race.
*CAROLINA IN THE POLLS: Carolina is ranked 21st in the GolfWeek/Sagarin College Rankings. Two Tar Heels are ranked in the individual rankings - Meaghan Francella is ranked 14th and Ashley Prange is 17th.
*PRANGE LEADS WAY FOR TAR HEELS: Ashley Prange, a senior from Noblesville. Ind., captured two individual championships this spring, the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic and the Lady Gamecock Classic. In the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic, Prange carded a one-under-par 215 total after firing rounds of 73-71-71 to post a three-stoke victory over South Carolina's Adrienne Gautreaux. The next week at the Lady Gamecock Classic, Prange tallied a three-over 219 total with rounds of 71-74-74 to finish three strokes ahead of South Carolina's Gautreaux and fellow Tar Heel teammate Katie Miller. These two wins give Prange three collegiate victories as she won the Mercedes-Benz Championship in the fall of 2002. Prange has posted finishes in the top 11 in all four of Carolina's spring tournaments and has posted seven top-25 finishes in Carolina's eight events. In addition to her two wins this spring, Prange finished ninth at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational and tied for 11th at the Bryan National Collegiate. Last fall, she tied for fifth place at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational, tied for 12th at the NCAA Fall Preview and finished 22nd at the ACC/SEC Challenge. A two-time All-ACC selection in 2002 and 2003, Prange tallied a tie for 10th place at last year's ACC Championship, also played at Salem Glen Country Club in Clemmons.
*FRANCELLA DEFENDS LAST YEAR'S TITLE: Meaghan Francella, a senior from Port Chester, N.Y., returns to Salem Glen to defend the ACC Individual Championship title she won last April. It was then that Francella fired a two-over-par 215 total with rounds of 77-69-69 to post a one-stroke victory over Duke's Elizabeth Janangelo and Wake Forest's Nuria Clau who both posted 216 totals. Francella has carded four top-11 finishes this spring and has posted seven top-25 finishes in Carolina's eight events this year. This spring, Francella carded a third-place finish at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic, tied for fifth at the Lady Gamecock Classic, finished 10th at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational and tied for 11th at the Bryan National Collegiate. Last fall, she finished in fourth place at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational, finished 10th at the ACC/SEC Challenge and tied for 22nd at the NCAA Fall Preview. Francella, selected to the 2003 All-ACC team, is completing her second season with the Tar Heels after transferring from Memphis.
*MILLER BECOMES STARTER AS FRESHMAN: Katie Miller, from Jeannette, Pa., has played in all eight of Carolina's tournaments in just her freshman year as a Tar Heel. Miller has posted four top-30 finishes. This spring, she tied for second place at the Lady Gamecock Classic, tied for 10th at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic and tied for 30th at the Bryan National Collegiate. Last fall, Miller was the low Tar Heel at the Mason Rudolph Championship where she tied for 17th place.
*MARUSHAK AND IRONS ROUND OUT LINEUP: Beth Marushak, a sophomore from Northampton, Pa., and Romi Irons, a sophomore from Austin, Texas, will be in Carolina's starting lineup for the ACC Championship. Marushak has played in five events this year as her top outing was a 47th-place finish at the Lady Gamecock Classic. Irons has played in all eight of Carolina's tournaments. Her top performance was a 42nd-place finish at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational.
Players Mentioned
