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WGolf Finishes 21st at NCAA East Regionals
May 10, 2014
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. - The BIG EAST Champion Seton Hall women's golf team finished 21st at its first-ever NCAA Regional, on Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Pirates entered the national tournament ranked 23rd amongst the field of 24 teams, but managed to out-play a pair of competitors that were ranked significantly higher. Seton Hall finished the three-round event with a 48-over-par, 302-301-309, two strokes better than the College of Charleston and 21 strokes better than Murray State. Charleston had a Golfstat ranking of 65 and Murray State was ranked 131, while Seton Hall entered the event at 146.
"I'm so incredibly proud of what this team has been able to accomplish this year, and this weekend was no different," said Head Coach Sara Doell. "We shot better than our season average all three days and we showed a lot of poise in what was without question the largest and most-competitive tournament our program has ever participated in.
Vanderbilt was the 2014 East Regional team champion with a staggering 24-under-par score for the tournament. The Commodores won the event by 14 strokes over second place South Carolina. The top eight teams advance to the National Championship in Tulsa, Okla. Joining Vanderbilt and South Carolina from the East Regional will be NC State, Duke, Stanford, Virginia, Tulane and Campbell. Pepperdine missed a berth in the championship by just one stroke.
For a second straight day, the Pirates were led by sophomore Megan Tenhundfeld (Loveland, Ohio), who fired a 4-over-par, 76, in Saturday's final round. Tenhundfeld was the top Seton hall performer over the three-day stretch, finishing at 11-over-par with a 77-74-76-227.
Vanderbilt's Jenny Hahn won the individual crown at 9-under-par. Teammate Kendall Martindale and Baylor's Hayley Davis tied for second at 6-under-par.
Finishing one stroke behind Tenhundfeld, Ali Kruse (Overland Park, Kan.) shot a 12-over-par, 73-76-79-228 for the three round event. In round three, she was having a fine round, until she bogeyed 17 and double-bogeyed 18 to finish the tournament.
A single stroke behind Kruse was teammate Erin McClure (Tucson, Ariz.), who finished with a 13-over-par, 75-76-78-229. McClure parred the first six holes of the afternoon on Saturday, but bogeyed the last three of the front nine. She also had three bogeys and six pars on the back nine for a third round 78,
Karlie Zabrosky (Erie, Pa.) picked up in the third round where she left off after a stellar second round. The sophomore birdied hole #2 and was 1-under-par through seven holes. But she bogeyed the last two of the front nine and then five of the first six holes on the back nine. Zabrosky had two birdies as well on the back nine, but settled for a third round 77. For the tournament, Zabrosky was 16-over-par with an 80-75-77-232.
Finally, the historic collegiate career of Hannah Basalone (Brea, Calif.), one of the program's original golfers, came to an end on Saturday. The senior shot a final round 78 to finish the tournament with a 19-over-par, 77-80-78-235. Basalone had three birdies during the afternoon, including the first two holes of the day, but had a costly double-bogey on hole #4 and bogeyed four of her last five holes.
No player in Seton Hall women's golf history has played in more tournaments or more rounds than Basalone. A three-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star, she was Seton Hall's first tournament individual champion, a victory at the 2011 Lehigh Invitational, and the Pirates' first All-BIG EAST selection.
"I'm so pleased that Hannah had an opportunity to finish her career in this fashion," Doell said. "She's been there from the start and has seen her share of lows. It gratifying to see her leave Seton Hall as a BIG EAST champion and having played her final round at an NCAA Regional. No one is more deserving."
The East Regional was played at SouthWood Golf Club in Tallahassee, Florida and hosted by Florida State University. Southwood Golf Club - located in Tallahassee, Florida is an extraordinary facility created by The St. Joe Company and one of the most celebrated layouts in Florida. Named one of the Top 35 New Courses in America by Golf Magazine and among America's Best New Courses by Golf Digest, SouthWood wows golfers from across the country. SouthWood was also named One of the Top 50 Courses for women by Women in Golf Magazine and voted Tallahassee's Best Golf Course by Tallahassee Magazine.
"What a wonderful ride this year has been for our program," Doell said. "Through hard work, these ladies have made memories they'll carry with them for a lifetime."
