May 11, 2002
East Lansing, Mich. - The Illinois women's golf team improved four spots in the team standings during today's final-round action to finish in 13th place at the NCAA Central Regional, held at the par 72, 6,053-yard Forest Akers West Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich. The Illini shot a team score of 303 during today's third round, a 31-stroke improvement from Friday's second-round score of 334. The vast improvement allowed the Illini to move up from 17th to 13th in the final team standings with a 54-hole cumulative score of 961, 97-strokes above par.
Four of the five Illini golfers carded rounds in the 70s today, led by sophomore Marla Cox's round of 2-over par 74. Cox's 74 stands as the lowest score recorded by an Illini during the Central Regional. Juniors Laurin Kanda and Renata Young both shot 76 today, while the Illini's fourth score came from sophomore Michelle Carroll, who recorded her second-consecutive round of 77.
Carroll tied for 22nd individually to lead all Illini golfers, finishing the tournament with a 54-hole total of 233. Laurin Kanda tied for 39th with a score of 236, three strokes behind Carroll. Rounding out the action for the Illini, Young tied for 75th (245), Cox tied for 82nd (247) and junior Stephanie Cheney tied for 99th with a score of 260.
Tulsa won the 21-team tournament with a score of 914 (+50), four strokes ahead of Ohio State and Texas, who tied for runner-up at 918. Tulsa's Stacy Prammanasudh earned medalist honors, claiming first place in the 108-player field at 3-over par with a score of 219. Kent State's Martina Gillen finished second at 7-over (223), while Purdue's Caroline Laurens was third at 8-over (224).
The top eight finishing teams from the Central Regional (Tulsa, Ohio State, Texas, Purdue, Oklahoma State, Michigan, Oklahoma and Michigan State) along with the top two individuals not among the top eight teams (Kent State's Gillen and Baylor's Melanie Hagewood) now advance to the NCAA Championship, May 21-24 at Washington National Golf Club in Auburn, Wash.
This concludes the season for the Illinois women's golf team.
Final NCAA Central Regional Team Standings
1. Tulsa 315-309-290=914
T2. Ohio State 311-310-297=918
T2. Texas 316-310-292=918
4. Purdue 309-314-297=920
5. Oklahoma State 306-319-296=921
6. Michigan 313-322-294=929
7. Oklahoma 319-306-306=931
8. Michigan State 310-327-295=932
9. Kent State 304-317-312=933
10. Baylor 309-318-309=936
11. Texas Christian 314-320-304=938
12. Wisconsin 324-319-305=948
13. ILLINOIS 324-334-303=961
14. Northwestern 325-334-304=963
15. Kansas State 325-326-313=964
16. Indiana 339-318-311=968
17. Florida State 327-329-313=969
18. UNC-Wilmington 331-324-318=973
19. Nebraska 339-333-326=998
20. Bradley 337-344-322=1003
21. St. Francis (Pa.) 358-355-342=1055
Final Illinois Individual Results T22. Michelle Carroll 79-77-77=233 +17 T39. Laurin Kanda 76-84-76=236 +20 T75. Renata Young 83-86-76=245 +29 T82. Marla Cox 86-87-74=247 +31 T99. Stephanie Cheney 88-89-83=260 +44
