THE 1999 NCAA EAST REGIONAL

The Demon Deacons will continue their post-season play on May 6-8 when they travel to South Carolina to compete in the 1999 NCAA East Regionals at the 5,996-yard, par-72 University Club in Blythewood, SC. Wake Forest has qualified for the NCAA Regionals in each of the last six seasons and has advanced to the NCAA Championships in five of the last six years.

LAST TIME OUT - THE 1999 ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Demon Deacons continued play close to home on April 16-18 when they finished third at the ACC Championships at the Grandover East Course in Greensboro, NC.

Wake Forest completed the event with a 54-hole total of 303-304-300=907. That score put them 17 shots off the pace of team champion Duke, which finished at 291-301-298=890. The Blue Devils' Beth Bauer captured individual medalist honors with a score of even-par, 71-73-72=216.

Leading the Deacon individuals in the field was sophomore Marta Prieto, who finished in fourth place at 6-over-par (75-77-70=222). Her 70 in the final round was a career best. She was followed by freshman Katie Brenny, who had a career-best sixth-place showing at 9-over-par (73-74-78=225). Freshman Nicole Faniola also had the best finish of her career, placing 11th at 76-79-77=232. Junior Kelly Kirwin was 13th at 80-80-75=235, and senior Kristen Wagner rounded out the Deacon contingent in 16th place at 79-74-84=237.

ROOKIES RECORD CAREER-BESTS AT ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS

Freshmen Katie Brenny and Nicole Faniola both recorded career-best finishes at the ACC Championships on May 6-8. Brenny had her first top-ten finish as she placed sixth at 73-74-78=225. Faniola placed in the top 20 for the first time in her career with an 11th-place showing after posting a 54-hole total of 76-79-77=232. Her 76, on Friday was also a career best.

KIRWIN IS THE DEACS' "IRON WOMAN"

After competing in the 1999 ACC Championships, junior Kelly Kirwin ran her streak of consecutive tournaments to 29 straight. She has competed in every tournament since joining the team in the fall of 1996. Kirwin is the only member of the 1998-99 Demon Deacon squad to have competed in every event during her career. Kirwin also recorded her career-best finish earlier this year with a second-place showing at the Casa de Campo Intercollegiate on March 12-14 in La Romano, Dominican Republic.

THE DEMON DEACON LINEUP

Kelly Kirwin (Jr, Grand Rapids, MN/Grand Rapids)

Holds a 76.53 stroke average through nine events in 1998-99...recorded a career-best round of 72 at the 1998 Lady Seminole...had career-best second-place finish at the Casa de Campo Intercollegiate..had second top 10 finish in three weeks with a sixth-place showing at the Bryan National Collegiate.

Marta Prieto (So, Sevilla, Spain/Academia Pre-Universitaria)

One of the Deacons' top players...captured the 1998 ACC Tournament title as a freshman...leads the team with a 75.64 stroke average through nine events...placed sixth at the GolfWorld/Palmetto Dunes Collegiate in the fall...finished ninth at the Bryan National Collegiate...had a season-best fourth-place showing at the 1999 ACC Tournament...led the Caso de Campo field before withdrawing in the third round due to heat exhaustion.

Kristen Wagner (Sr, Martinsville, IN/Martinsville)

The Demon Deacons' captain for the 1998-99 season... has a stroke average of 79.38 through nine events...top finish of the spring was an 11th-place finish at the Bryan National Collegiate... carded a career-low 73 in the second round of that event...the top two finishes of her career have come at the ACC Tournament (10th in '97, ninth in 98).

Katie Brenny (Fr, Little Falls, MN/Little Falls)

Has started every tournament this year except the Lady Gamecock Classic...has a stroke average of 77.08, good for third on the team...top finish was a sixh-place showing at the ACC Championships...had rounds of 73 and 74 in that event...placed 19th at Golf World/Palmetto Dunes and 16th at Caso de Campo.

Nicole Faniola (Fr, Old Lyme, CT/Old Lyme)

Has competed in six events for the Deacons this season, including all five spring tournaments...top finish was an 11th-place showing at the 1999 ACC Championhips...had a career-best round of 76 in first 18 holes of that event...has a stroke average of 82.88 on the year.

THE 1998 NCAA EAST REGIONAL

Wake Forest finished ninth at the 1998 NCAA East Regionals in Durham, NC, completing play in the 54-hole event at 299-307-313=919. They were well off the pace of team champion Georgia, which had a 6-over-par total of 293-292-297=882. The Bulldogs' Reilley Rankin captured individual medalist honors with a 3-under-par score of 70-75-71=216.

Although the Deacs finished ninth, they only missed out on a sixth straight trip to the NCAA Championships by three strokes. Wake finished just behind North Carolina and Auburn, both of which tied for seventh and earned the final two berths into the NCAA field.

The Deacons were led by senior Alexandra Armas, who placed 15th in the field with a total of 73-72-80=225. Armas was involved in a playoff to determine the final individual bid to the NCAAs, but came up just short. She was followed in the individual standings by freshman Marta Prieto (75-78-78=231) and sophomore Kelly Kirwin (77-78-76=231), both of whom tied for 38th place. Junior Kristen Wagner placed 50th in the event with a 54-hole total of 74-81-79-234. The final Deacon individual was sophomore Kerri Murphy, who tied for 74th place at 78-79-82=239.

1998 NCAA East Regional
May 7-9, 1998
Grandover East Golf Course,
Greensboro, NC
Team: 919 Place: 9th of 19
Par 73, 5,984 yards
Alexandra Armas   73- 72- 80= 225 t-15th
Marta Prieto      75- 78- 78= 231 t-38th
Kelly Kirwin      77- 78- 76= 231 t-38th
Kristen Wagner    74- 81- 79= 234 t-50th
Kerri Murphy      78- 79- 82= 239 t-74th
TEAM              299- 307- 313= 919 9th
Team Champion:  Georgia 293-292-297=882
Individual Champion: Reilley Rankin, Georgia 70-75-71=216

WAKE IN THE NCAA REGIONAL

The Demon Deacons have captured two NCAA East Regional crowns in their history, the most recent coming in 1995 when the team went on to finish third at the NCAA Championships. Wake Forest has appeared in the East Regional in each of the last six seasons and is making its seventh-straight trip to the event.

After finishing third in their first trip to the East Regional in 1993, the Deacons captured their first NCAA East Regional title the very next year in East Lansing, MI. The Deacs were led by four-time All-American Stephanie Neill and recorded a team total of 925 in the victory.

In 1995, the Deacons captured their second straight East Regional crown with a team score of 890 in Bartlett, TN, which still rates as the fourth-best 54-hole team total in school history. The 1995 team featured Neill and two other All-Americans in Laura Philo and Alexandra Armas.

Wake Forest has qualified for the NCAA Championships via the East Regional in five of the last six seasons, missing the cut only in 1998 when the Deacs came just three shots short of the eight-team cutoff.

Past NCAA East Regional Results

Year Site            Place  Score
1993 Baton Rouge, LA   3rd  903
1994 East Lansing, MI  1st  925
1995 Bartlett, TN      1st  890
1996 Opelika, AL       2nd  913
1997 Bloomington, IL   5th  951
1998 Durham, NC        9th  919

WAKE'S TOP PERFORMANCES AT THE NCAA REGIONALS

 Team Best 18-Hole Score
 1995 First Round  289
 1993 Second Round 294
 1995 Third Round  297
 1996 First Round  299
 1998 First Round  299

Team Best 54-Hole Score
 1995 Bartlett, TN     289-304-297=890
 1993 Baton Rouge, LA  312-294-297=903
 1996 Opelika, AL      299-311-303=913
 1998 Durham, NC       299-307-313=919
 1994 East Lansing, MI 311-310-304=925

Individual Best 18-Hole Score
 1993 Kim Marshall (2nd)    70
 1993 Stephanie Neill (3rd) 70
 1994 Stephanie Neill (1st) 70
 1995 Stephanie Neill (3rd) 71
 Five Times                 72

Individual Best 54 Hole Score
 1995 Stephanie Neill  73-72-71=216
 1994 Stephanie Neill  70-75-74=219
 1993 Kim Marshall     76-70-74=220
 1996 Alexandra Armas  74-74-73=221
 1996 Laura Philo      72-76-74=222

CURRENT DEMON DEACONS IN THE NCAA REGIONALS

Kristen Wagner
Year Score           Place
1997 82- 83- 77= 242 t-40th
1998 74- 81- 79= 234 t-50th

Kelly Kirwin
Year Score           Place
1997 82- 82- 82= 246 t-64th
1998 77- 78- 76= 231 t-38th

Kerri Murphy
Year Score           Place
1998 78- 79- 82= 239 t-74th

Marta Prieto
Year Score           Place
1998 75- 78- 78= 231 t-38th

INJURY REPORT

The Demon Deacons have felt the effects of a number of injuries this season. In early March both Kerri Murphy and Camille Lee were sidelined for the remainder of the spring season with injuries. Murphy, a junior who missed the fall season with mono, has suffered from a problem with the sciatic nerve in her back and has not been able to return to the Deacon lineup. Lee, a freshman who played in every tournament during the fall, was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in early March and has been in rehab since the middle of last month. Those injuries, coupled with the departure of senior Trina Casburn from the team, have left the Deacs with only six players on the active roster for much of the spring, including this week's NCAA East Regional.

1998-99 WAKE FOREST WOMEN'S GOLF STATISTICS
Name         Events Rds  Strk  Avg/18  Avg/54 Low 18  Low 54 Best Fin
Marta Prieto      9  25  1,891  75.64  226.92   70     222   4th
Kelly Kirwin      9  26  1,990  76.53  229.62   72     221   2nd
Katie Brenny      8  24  1,850  77.08  231.25   72     225   6th
Kristen Wagner    9  26  2,064  79.38  238.15   74     234   11th
Camille Lee       4  12    952  79.33  238.00   75     230   41st
Nicole Faniola*   6  17  1,409  82.88  248.65   76     232   11th
V. Prado Lacoste* 1   3    258  86.00  258.00   85     258   59th
Team              9  26  8,036 309.08  927.23  295     898   2nd
* competed in one event as an individual