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Cavaliers Rally for Second-Place Finish at ACC Championships
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Greensboro, NC – The 13th-ranked Virginia women’s golf team finished second
at the 22nd-annual ACC Championships at the Sedgefield Country Club in
Greensboro, N.C. The Cavaliers, behind the second-place finishes of freshman
Brittany Altomare and junior Calle Nielson, shot 3-over 287 Sunday to finish
the 54-hole tournament at 21-over 873. Wake Forest, repeated as conference
champions, shooting 298 during the final round to defeat the Cavaliers by
four shots. Duke was third, one shot behind Virginia at 874.
UVa’s finish marked the third time since 2006 the Cavaliers have placed
second at the ACC’s. UVa’s final round score was the best of the day and the
second best during the tournament.
Wake Forest entered Sunday’s play with a 15-shot lead that was completely
gone at one point when third-ranked Duke and UVa managed to pull even with
the ninth-ranked Deacons on the back nine. Behind the play of Michelle Shin,
the Deacons pulled away and Shin overtook Altomare to claim medalist honors.
Shin collected four birdies and one bogey over her final six holes.
Altomare, who was 3-under on the day after 11 holes and leading the
tournament, came to the final hole with a two-shot lead on Shin. Altomare’s
tee shot found the woods and her ball nestled into a hole that required two
shots to get her back on the fairway. She finished with a bogey and ended
play one stroke behind Shin, who made birdie.
“It was a bad break for Brittany that she did not have a good play on her
ball out of the woods, but I’m very proud of how she competed today,” said
UVa coach Kim Lewellen. “The same goes for our entire team. We went into the
final round with the attitude that we were going to give it our all because
we had nothing to lose. They all played without fear today. We had a chance
for a while, but credit Wake Forest because they finished really strong when
they needed to.”
Altomare’s performance was her second runner-up finish this year. Here final
total of 1-under 212 was her best tournament score as a collegiate. She had
rounds of 72, 69 and 71.
Nielson’s finish, including a 69 Sunday, marked the third time in her career
she has placed among the top seven finishers at the ACC Championships. She
was third last year on her way to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA
Championships.
Rounding out UVa’s scoring was freshman Nicole Agnello who was 11th overall
at 224. She shot 76 during the final round. Lauren Greenlief was 12th at
225, including a 71 Sunday. She bettered her previous best tournament score
by two shots and her final round effort equaled her low 18-hole score this
season. Whitney Neuhauser was 44th at 255. She finished with a 76.
The Cavaliers will now wait a week to find out which NCAA Regional
Championship they will be assigned to compete. NCAA Regionals take place May 6-8.
ACC Championships
Sedgefield Country Club
Greensboro, NC
Par-71, 6,355 yards
Final Results
Team Results
1. Wake Forest 286-285-298-869
2. Virginia 288-298-287-873
3. Duke 288-298-288-874
4. Florida State 301-298-302-901
5. North Carolina 302-291-313-906
6. Maryland 299-305-311-915
7. NC State 301-304-322-927
8. Miami 318-324-323-965
9. Boston College 324-323-340-987
Individual Leaders
1. Michelle Shin, Wake Forest 70-70-71-211
2. Brittany Altomare, Virginia 72-69-71-212
2. Calle Nielson, Virginia 70-73-69-212
4. Lindy Duncan, Duke 71-74-71-216
4. Stacey Kim, Duke 70-73-73-216
6. Kate Thomas, North Carolina 74-69-75-218
6. Cheyenne Woods, Wake Forest 70-70-78-218
8. Alison Whitaker, Duke 69-76-74-219
8. Dolores White, Wake Forest 73-70-76-219
10. Maria Salinas, Florida State 72-74-74-220
Virginia
2. Brittany Altomare 72-69-71-212
2. Calle Nielson 70-73-69-212
11. Nicole Agnello 71-77-76-224
12. Lauren Greenlief 78-79-71-225
44. Whitney Neuhauser 94-85-76-255