Sun Devils to compete at the SMU/OSU Regional Challenge February 7-9.
 
Head Coach Linda Vollstedt will lead ASU at the SMU/OSU Regional Challenge. |
Feb. 3, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State women's golf team opens the spring season at the SMU/OSU Regional Challenge Feb. 7-9 in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., at the Palos Verdes Golf Club. Play in the 54-hole tournament will begin at 9 a.m. Pacific on Monday and Tuesday, while Wednesday's final round will tee off at 8:30 a.m.
Feb. 7-9 SMU/OSU Regional Challenge
Palos Verdes Country Club - Palos Verdes, Calif.
About the SMU/OSU Regional Challenge
The SMU/OSU Regional Challenge is being held for the fifth year at Palos Verdes Golf Club, a 5,912-yard, par 71 course in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. Hosted by Ohio State and Southern Methodist, the tournament annually showcases many of the nation's elite teams. This year the SMU/OSU Regional Challenge features eight of the top 10 teams in the nation, while 17 individuals currently ranked in the MasterCard top 25 will also compete in the tournament. Overall, 16 of the 18 teams competing are ranked in the latest MasterCard Top 25. The tournament features 18 teams, including six from each region (West, Southwest, East). The three winning teams will automatically be invited back to next year's tournament. This season, Arizona State, Texas and Georgia were the 1999 winners with Georgia capturing last year's tournament. The Sun Devils finished second last year, while Grace Park and Jody Niemann tied for eighth.
This year's tournament will include Arizona, Arizona State, Pepperdine, Stanford, UCLA, USC, New Mexico State, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Texas, Tulsa, Georgia, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, South Carolina and Wake Forest.
In the Rankings
Arizona State checked in at fourth in the Dec. 1, 1999 MasterCard rankings and the Jan. 31 Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, while freshman Miriam Nagl (Berlin, Germany) finished the fall season second in the MasterCard individual rankings with 313 votes, just four votes behind Arizona's Jenna Daniels. She also stands in fourth in the Golfweek/Sagarin individual poll.
The Lineup
Arizona State's lineup will include junior Molly Cooper (Tumwater, Wash.), sophomore Caroline Laurens (Montpellier, France), sophomore Lisa Meredith (Reading, England), freshman Miriam Nagl (Berlin, Germany) and freshman Blair O'Neal (Tempe, Ariz.).
1999-2000 Stroke Averages
| Name | App | Top 10 | Rounds | Strokes | Avg. | Low |
| Miriam Nagl | 4 | 4 | 12 | 866 | 72.12 | 69 |
| Caroline Laurens | 4 | 0 | 12 | 905 | 75.42 | 71 |
| Lisa Meredith | 4 | 0 | 12 | 911 | 75.91 | 71 |
| Molly Cooper | 4 | 0 | 12 | 920 | 76.67 | 72 |
| Blair O'Neal | 4 | 0 | 12 | 920 | 76.67 | 73 |
| Michaela Friberg | 2 | 0 | 6 | 466 | 77.67 | 75 |
Head Coach Linda Vollstedt
Under the direction of 20th-year head coach Linda Vollstedt, Arizona State has captured six NCAA titles in the 1990s, twice as many as any other women's golf program in the nation. The Sun Devils have finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships in 10 of the last 12 years. Throughout her career, Vollstedt, herself a 1969 graduate of Arizona State, has guided 15 players to the professional ranks.
Molly Cooper
Junior Molly Cooper (Tumwater, Wash.) turned in her best finish at this fall's Gold World/Palmetto Dunes tournament, tying for 16th after shooting rounds of 77, 74 and 74. She also cracked the top 20 at the Stanford Intercollegiate, finishing tied for 20th (75, a season-best 72 and 77). Last season, Cooper's best showing came at the Spartan Invitational when she tied for 32nd competing as an individual.Career Low Round: 72 (five times)
Season Low Round: 72 (Stanford Intercollegiate)
Michaela Friberg
Junior Michaela Friberg (Rydeback, Sweden) competed in two fall tournaments as an individual this year, tying for 65th at the McGuire Invitational and for 35th at the Stanford Intercollegiate. Her stroke average in her two fall appearances was 77.67.Last year, she registered her best performance at the Japan Topy Cup with a ninth-place finish.Career Low Round: 73 (1996-97 GolfWorld Collegiate)
Season Low Round: 75 (Stanford Intercollegiate)
Caroline Laurens
Sophomore Caroline Laurens (Montpellier, France) registered three top 20 performances in four appearances and finished with a 75.42 stroke average (second on the team) this fall. Her best finish of the fall came when she tied for 11th at the Gold Wolrd/Palmetto Dunes tournament, shooting rounds of 74, 75 and 72 to finish at five-over par. Laurens' best round of the fall and her career came on the second day of the NCAA Preview with a 71. Last year, the sophomore made seven appearances and turned in a 76.33 stroke average. She captured two top 10 finished including a tie for third at the Spartan Invitational.Career Low Round: 70 (1999 PING/ASU Invitational)
Season Low Round: 71 (NCAA Preview)
Lisa Meredith
Sophomore Lisa Meredith (Reading, England) appeared in all four fall tournaments with a 75.91 stroke average, which was third on the team. Her best showing came at the Stanford Intercollegiate when she tied for 15th place. The Sun Devil sophomore shot a career-best 71 in the final round in Palo Alto, Calif., to finish six-over par. Last year, Meredith made five appearances for the Sun Devils.Career Low Round: 71 (1999 Stanford Intercollegiate)
Season Low Round: 71 (Stanford Intercollegiate)
Miriam Nagl
Freshman Miriam Nagl (Berlin, Germany) is currently the second-ranked golfer in the nation in the most recent MasterCard individual rankings. In her first collegiate tournament, the Sun Devil newcomer won the NCAA Preview in Sunriver, Ore., the precursor to this year's NCAA Championships, shooting rounds of 70, 72 and a season-best 69 to finish five-under par. Nagl was named Rolex College Golfer of the Month for September after her stellar debut. In four appearances this fall, she turned in four top 10 finishes, highlighted by a tie for third place at the Stanford Intercollegiate and a tie for fourth at the GoldWorld/Palmetto Dunes Intercollegiate. Nagl led the team with a 72.12 stroke average this fall.Career Low Round: 69 (two times)
Season Low Round: 69 (two times)
Blair O'Neal
Freshman Blair O'Neal (Tempe, Ariz.) saw action in all four of ASU's fall tournaments and finished the fall season with a 76.67 stroke average. One of two freshmen on the squad, O'Neal's best finish came at the Stanford Intercollegiate when she took 23rd place, shooting rounds of 78, 74 and a season-best 73.Career Low Round: 73 (1999 Stanford Intercollegiate)
Season Low Round: 73 (Stanford Intercollegiate)
This Fall
The Sun Devils turned in top five finishes in three of its four tournaments this fall, including third-place showings at the Stanford Intercollegiate and the Golf World/Palmetto Dunes tournament. Arizona State opened the season with a bang when freshman Miriam Nagl (Berlin, Germany) burst onto the national scene by winning the NCAA Preview at the Crosswater Golf Club in Sunriver, Ore., the precursor to the NCAA Championships to be held May 24-27 at the same venue. Nagl finished in the top 10 of all four fall events for the Sun Devils and was selected as Rolex College Golfer of the Month for September.