Cavalier Golfers Open NCAA Regional Play in Second Place

Story Links

Auburn, WA – The No. 6 Virginia women’s golf team was in second place after the morning wave of teams completed the first round of the NCAA West Regional Championship at Washington National Golf Club. The Cavaliers shot 2-over 290 in the blustery conditions with temperatures around 50 degrees. Only top-ranked USC posted a better score than the Cavaliers, shooting even par 288. Tennessee, ranked 13th, had the third best score at 4-over 292 while 22nd-ranked UC Davis shot 300. The first wave included the 12 highest seeded schools in the 24-team field.

“The girls played very well today,” said Virginia coach Kim Lewellen. “They played well as a team and they kept their patience out there. We really like the position we are in after the first round.”

The top eight teams from the three-day, 54-hole regional will advance to the NCAA Championships. Virginia is playing in his seventh consecutive NCAA regional and attempting to qualify for the NCAA finals for the fourth straight year.

A trio of Cavaliers managed to shoot even par to get the Cavaliers off to a solid start. Seniors Joy Kim and Calle Nielson and freshman Portland Rosen all shot 72 and are tied for fifth place. Brittany Altomare finished at 2-over 74 and is in 17th place while Nicole Agnello shot 10-over 82 and is 104th overall.

Kim had five birdies and five bogeys during her round while Nielson also carded five birdies but had to count a pair of bogeys and a triple bogey. Nielson won the West Regional last year at Stanford. Rosen had three birdies and three bogeys.

“Joy played a great round and I think this course suits her game,” Lewellen said. “Calle bounced back after not having a good tournament at the ACCs, and with the exception of one hole, was really good out there. Portland, playing in her first NCAA tournament, really did a nice job. Brittany was our number-four counter today and we don’t see that very often. She left some shots out there and I think she can do more to help us over the next two days.”

Only four golfers in the 126-player field managed to shoot under par, led by Tennessee’s Erica Popson, who leads the tournament at 4-under 68.

The Cavaliers will tee off at 1:26 p.m. (PT) Friday from the No. 10 tee along with No. 1 seed USC and No. 3 seed Arizona. Saturday’s final round is based on team standings. Live scoring of the tournament is online at Golfstat.com.

NCAA West Regional Championship
Washington National Golf Club
Auburn, WA
Par-72, 6,266 yards

First Round Results
1. USC (1) 288
2. Virginia (6) 290
3. Tennessee (13) 292
4. UC Davis (23) 300
5. Texas A&M (27) 301
6. Oregon (33) 302
7. South Carolina (36) 303
7. Arizona (7) 303
7. Brigham Young (51) 303
10. Iowa State (15) 304
10. Washington (38) 304
12. Portland State (60) 305
13. Denver (47) 307
14. San Diego State (49) 310
14. New Mexico (52) 310
14. Tulsa (42) 310
17. Texas-San Antonio (57) 311
18. Georgia (12) 314
19. San Jose State (71) 315
20. Oklahoma (28) 316
21. Pepperdine (19) 316
22. New Mexico State (64) 318
23. Oral Roberts (88) 319
24. UTEP (97) 321
Note: number is parenthesis is Golfstat ranking

Individual Leaders
1. Erica Popson, Tennessee 68
2. Sophia Popov, USC 69
2. Demi Runas, UC Davis 69
4. Anya Alvarez, Washington 70
5. Amy Anderson, North Dakota State 72
5. Joy Kim, Virginia 72
5. Calle Nielson, Virginia 72
5. Portland Rosen, Virginia 72

Virginia Results
5. Joy Kim 72
5. Calle Nielson 72
5. Portland Rosen 72
17. Brittany Altomare 74
104. Nicole Agnello 74