Oct. 15, 2000

KNOXVILLE, TENN. -- Freshman Virada Nirapathpongporn (Bangkok, Thailand) paced the Duke women's golf team to its third consecutive victory of the season at the Mercedes-Benz Women's Collegiate Championship in Knoxville, Tenn. The Blue Devils won by ten strokes over the host Tennessee at the Gettysvue Polo, Golf, & Country Club.

Nirapathpongporn fired a final round 69 and won individual honors with a three-day total of 215 (76-70-69, -1). The victory for Nirapathpongporn was her first of her career, while playing in only three collegiate tournaments. She was five-under-par for the final two days of competition.

Junior Candy Hannemann (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) finished in third place (73-73-75=221, +5) overall and freshman Leigh Anne Hardin (Martinsville, Ind.) turned in a tied for seventh place finish (73-75-76=224, +8). It marks the third consecutive top 20 finish for Hardin. Senior Kalen Anderson (Edina, Minn.) posted a final round 74 and finished tied for 24th overall (79-79-74=232, +16) and sophomore Maria Garcia-Estrada (Tenerife, Spain) notched a 75 on day three for a tied for 37th finish (78-83-75=236, +20).

Sophomore Kristina Engstrom (Djursholm, Sweden) played as an individual and posted her second top 10 finish in three tournaments as she placed tied for seventh overall (73-76-75=224, +8).

The Blue Devils pulled away on the final day shooting a 293 on Sunday and finished with an 890. Rounding out the top 10 teams are Tennessee (900), Northwestern (903), Purdue (920), Louisiana State (920), TCU (923), Vanderbilt (932), Swedish Junior National (933), North Carolina (940), and New Mexcio State (944).

Duke will be off until November 3-5 at the Golf World/Palmetto Dunes Intercollegiate in Hilton Head, S.C.