April 19, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - Fresh off its second-place finish at the PING/ASU Invitational, the Arizona State women's golf team returns to action next week at the Pac-10 Conference Championships April 24-26 at the Eugene Country Club. The fourth-ranked Sun Devils will be looking to capture their first Pac-10 title since 1996 and the 10th under head coach Linda Vollstedt. This year's Pac-10 Championships will feature four of the nation's top six teams in No. 1 Arizona, No. 3 USC, No. 4 Arizona State and No. 6 Stanford. All 10 conference schools rank in the national top 50. The tournament will also showcase many of the top individuals in the nation with 27 ranked participants including seven of the top 15 and the nation's top two golfers in Arizona's Jenna Daniels and Arizona State's Miriam Nagl.
About the Pac-10 Championships
The University of Oregon is the host of the 2000 Pac-10 Conference Championships which will be held at the par 72, 6,000-yard Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore. The three-round tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. each day.
Stanford won the Pac-10 title last season, while Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and USC rounded out the top five. ASU's Grace Park became the 12th Sun Devil to earn conference medalist honors after shooting a five-under 21to win last year's conference tournament. Arizona won the two previous conference titles, while Arizona State won four straight from 1993-1996.
In the Rankings
Arizona State checked in at fourth in the April 19 MasterCard Collegiate Golf and Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. Individually, freshman Miriam Nagl is ranked second in the MasterCard individual rankings just behind Arizona's Jenna Daniels after holding the top spot for much of the spring season. Four other Sun Devils appear in the MasterCard rankings with freshman Blair O'Neal jumping to 45th after her third-place finish at the PING/ASU Invitational, sophomore Caroline Laurens checking in at 54th, junior Molly Cooper at 69th and sophomore Lisa Meredith at 99th.
The Lineup
Arizona State's lineup will include junior Molly Cooper, sophomores Caroline Laurens and Lisa Meredith and freshmen Miriam Nagl and Blair O'Neal, while junior Michaela Friberg will compete as an individual.
1999-2000 Stroke Averages
| Name | App | Top 10 | Rounds | Strokes | Avg. | Low |
| Miriam Nagl | 8 | 8 | 24 | 1733 | 72.21 | 69 |
| Caroline Laurens | 8 | 1 | 24 | 1807 | 75.29 | 73 |
| Blair O'Neal | 8 | 2 | 24 | 1816 | 75.67 | 70 |
| Lisa Meredith | 8 | 0 | 24 | 1819 | 75.79 | 71 |
| Molly Cooper | 8 | 1 | 24 | 1828 | 76.17 | 68 |
| Michaela Friberg | 5 | 0 | 15 | 1185 | 79.00 | 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 including 1998 U.S. Amateur champion Grace Park and 2000 U.S. Public Links champion Jody Niemann.
Last Time Out
Arizona State finished second to top-ranked Arizona by three strokes at the PING/ASU Invitational held April 7-9 at ASU's Karsten Golf Course. The Sun Devils and the Wildcats were knotted at 585 heading into the final round, but Arizona shot a one-under par 287 on the final day to best ASU by three strokes. Both teams shot even par after the first nine holes in the final round, but Arizona finished strong on the back to garner the win, their fifth straight tournament victory.
Individually, freshman Miriam Nagl took second in the tournament, finishing with a one-under total of 215. Nagl also garnered the Ann Votik Award which is given to the outstanding freshman perfomer each year at the PING/ASU Invitational. Freshman Blair O'Neal also finished strong with her second 71 of the tournament to finish in a tie for third place at 217 with Tulsa's Stacy Prammanasudh and Texas A&M's Mimi Epps.
Other Sun Devil scorers included sophomore Caroline Laurens who finished in a tie for 16th (75-75-73=223), junior Molly Cooper who tied for 28th (73-79-73=225) and sophomore Lisa Meredith who finished tied for 32nd (77-74-75=226). Junior Michaela Friberg, who was playing as an individual, tied for 71st (76-82-78=236).
Molly Cooper (Junior -- Tumwater, Wash.)
Turned in her best finish of the season at the San Jose State Spartan Invitational, finishing in a tie for ninth place with a three-day total of 228...carded a season- and career-low 68 in the final round of the Arizona Invitational to tie for 20th, her fourth top-20 finish of the year...other top-20 showings include a tie for 16th at this fall's Golf World/Palmetto Dunes tournament and a tie for 20th at the Stanford Intercollegiate.
Career Low Round: 68 (2000 Arizona Invitational)
Season Low Round: 68 (Arizona Invitational)
Michaela Friberg (Junior -- Rydeback, Sweden)
Has seen action in five tournaments this season as an individual...her best finish was a tie for 35th at the Stanford Intercollegiate, turning in rounds of 77, a season-low 75 and 76.
Career Low Round: 73 (1996-97 GolfWorld Collegiate)
Season Low Round: 75 (Stanford Intercollegiate)
Caroline Laurens (Sophomore -- Montpellier, France)
Only returning player from last year's NCAA Championships lineup...has registered five top 20 performances in eight appearances this year...her best showing was a tie for ninth at the Spartan Invitational...tied for 16th at the PING/ASU Invitational...best finish of the fall came when she tied for 11th at the Gold World/Palmetto Dunes tournament, shooting rounds of 74, 75 and 72 to finish at five-over par...turned in her best round of the season with a 71 in the second round of the NCAA Preview...also shot a 71 on the second day at the Arizona Invitational.
Career Low Round: 70 (1999 PING/ASU Invitational)
Season Low Round: 71 (twice, most recently at Arizona Invitational)
Lisa Meredith (Sophomore -- Reading, England)
Has appeared in all eight tournaments this year...has finished in the top 30 in five of her last six tournaments...turned in her best showing of the year at the Stanford Intercollegiate when she tied for 15th place...shot a career-best 71 in the final round in Palo Alto, Calif., to finish six-over par...tied for 22nd at the Spartan Invitational and for 23rd at the Arizona Invitational.
Career Low Round: 71 (1999 Stanford Intercollegiate)
Season Low Round: 71 (Stanford Intercollegiate)
Miriam Nagl (Freshman -- Berlin, Germany)
Is currently the second-ranked golfer in the nation in the MasterCard individual rankings...finished second at the PING/ASU Invitational with a one-under 215...has shot four 69s on the season...has also finished even or under par in five tournaments this year...has finished in the top 10 in all eight appearances this year including six top-five showings??was ranked 14th in the fall before playing even one round of collegiate golf...won the NCAA Preview in Sunriver, Ore., her first collegiate tournament...shot rounds of 70, 72 and a season-best 69 to finish five-under par at the NCAA Preview...was named Rolex College Golfer of the Month for September after her stellar debut...other top finishes include a tie for second place at the SMU/OSU Regional Challenge and third-place showings at the Stanford Intercollegiate and the San Jose State Spartan Invitational.
Career Low Round: 69 (four times, most recently at PING/ASU Invitational)
Season Low Round: 69 (four times, most recently at PING/ASU Invitational)
Blair O'Neal (Freshman -- Tempe, Ariz.)
Has really come on of late, most recently turning in the best finish of her young career with a tie for third place at the PING/ASU Invititational?tied her season-low with a three-round total of 217 (including a pair of 71s on the first and last days) at the PING/ASU Invite...has finished in the top 13 in each of her last three tournaments...has jumped to No. 45 in the national rankings...tied for ninth at the San Jose State Spartan Invitational...finished 13th at the Arizona Invitational, carding scores of 74, 70 and 73 for a season-low 217 (one-over par)...has seen action in all eight tournaments this season...one of two freshmen in the ASU lineup...best fall finish came at the Stanford Intercollegiate when she took 23rd place, shooting rounds of 78, 74 and 73.
Career Low Round: 70 (2000 Arizona Invitational)