May 19, 2001

The top-ranked Duke women's golf team will travel to its fourth-consecutive, 14th overall NCAA Championships in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. on May 22-25. The Blue Devils will be looking to claim their second NCAA title in the last three years.

The championships will be played at the El Campeon Course, which is a Par 72 6,186 yard course located at the Mission Inn Resort. Tee times will begin at 7:30 AM with each team playing 18 holes every day.

Duke enters NCAA Championship action with a five-tournament win streak, which includes its sixth consecutive ACC Championship title and second consecutive East Regional title. Overall, the Blue Devils have won a school record nine tournaments in 2000-01. Duke had won eight tournaments the last two years in a row.

Duke is currently ranked first nationally in both the MasterCard and Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.

BLUE DEVILS IN THE NCAA'S
Duke is making the program's 14th trip to the NCAA Championships. Of the previous 13 NCAA Championship appearances for the Blue Devils, Duke has finished in the top 10 seven times. The Blue Devils earned a fourth-place spot in 1994 and 1998, the best finishes for a Blue Devil team prior to the first place finish in 1999.

The Blue Devils boast three players in the lineup with NCAA Championship experience. Senior Kalen Anderson will be making her fourth consecutive trip to the tournament. The three previous years she has turned in a tied for 12th, tied for 21st, and tied for 39th finishes. Last season, she posted Duke's top finish of tied for 21st (74-73-75-78=300). Candy Hannemann is making her third consecutive appearance and owns a second overall finish under her belt.

In 1999, Hannemann finished second overall after firing consecutive rounds of 71-72-70=213 to lead Duke to the national title. Sophomore Kristina Engstrom finished in tied for 77th last season with rounds of 81-77-74-79=311).

NOTING THE BLUE DEVILS
Heading into the NCAA Championships, the Blue Devils have won their past five tournaments in a row. This includes Duke's performance at the Bryan National Collegiate where the Blue Devils rolled to an eight-under-par three-day total of 856, which was two strokes off the Duke record. In the final round, all five players shot 73 or under.

On the season, the Blue Devils have had seven individual medallist winners-- Candy Hannemann/Leigh Anne Hardin at the Franklin Street Trust, Virada Nirapathpongporn at the Mercedes-Benz, Kalen Anderson at the Liz Murphey Classic, Hannemann at the Bryan National Collegiate, Nirapathpongporn at the ACC Championship, and Nirapathpongporn at the NCAA East Regional.

MATCHING LAST YEAR
For the second consecutive year, the Blue Devils enter the NCAA Championships with a five tournament win streak. Last season though, Duke turned in a 14th place finish at the championships. This was in very bad weather conditions and going up against an Arizona team that was on fire. Last season, Duke also won The Preview in the fall.

IMPRESSIVE NUMBER 209
Freshman Virada "Oui" Nirapathpongporn added her name to the Duke record book during the NCAA Championships a couple of different times. The Bangkok, Thailand native equaled the Duke single round record of 65 and also the 54-hole record of 209. She matched Jenny Chuasiriporn's 65 from the 1998 NCAA Championship.

Her 209 was the fourth time a Blue Devil has posted this total--Candy Hannemann (2001), Beth Bauer (1999), and Stephanie Sparks (1993).

THE HEAD COACH
Dan Brooks is in his 17th season as the head coach of the Blue Devils. The 1981 graduate of Oregon State has led Duke to 14 NCAA Championship appearances during his coaching career, including eight of the last nine years, and the school's first National Championship in 1999.

Brooks' teams have finished with a top 20 ranking 14 times (looking for the 15th this season), while six of his squad's have earned a top 10 finish in an NCAA Tournament (1987 tied for seventh, 1988 finished fifth, 1994 finished fourth, 1996 finished tied for seventh, 1998 finished fourth, 1999 finished first). In 17 years, his teams have won 56 tournaments. This year's squad has won nine events.

He was named the 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001 ACC Coach of the Year for his efforts. Duke has collected nine ACC Championships during Brooks' term with the program.

THE LINEUP
Duke's lineup traveling to the NCAA Championships will be the same as the Blue Devils have used all spring. All five golfers are ranked in the top 33 in the latest MasterCard Collegiate Golf Rankings. Junior Candy Hannemann is third, freshman Virada Nirapathpongporn is 10th, senior Kalen Anderson is 24th, freshman Leigh Anne Hardin is 32nd, and sophomore Kristina Engstrom is 33rd.

Hannemann heads into the NCAAs on fire as she hasn't finished lower than ninth in her last nine tournaments. She leads the squad with a 73.10 stroke average and is second on the team with 12 rounds of even or under par scores. On the season, Hannemann has posted seven top five, nine top 10, and nine top 20 finishes. She won the Bryan National Collegiate and tied for first at the Franklin Street Trust and the Arizona Invitational.

Nirapathpongporn has been one of Duke's most consistent players this season as she is second on the squad with a 73.34 stroke average. She has tallied five top five, six top 10, and nine top 20 finishes in her first year at Duke. She heads into the championships with two consecutive victories at the ACC Championship and the NCAA East Regional. She has three overall tournament victories as she won the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate in the fall. Nirapathpongporn was selected Golf World Player of the Week after her victory at the Mercedes-Benz.

In her final three tournaments of the regular season, Anderson was playing her best golf of her four-year career. She posted a 73.56 stroke average in her last nine rounds of golf in the regular season, which included one first place, a fourth place, and a tied for 12th place finish. Her medallist honors came at the Liz Murphey Classic, which marked her first collegiate victory. In the postseason, Anderson has an average of 76.00. On the season, Anderson has posted a 75.31 stroke average with six top 20 finishes.

Engstrom ranks fifth on the squad with a 76.24 stroke average this season, while posting two top five, three top 10, and five top 20 finishes. She was Duke's top finisher at the Lady Gamecock Classic as she finished in third place after posting rounds of 75, 74, and 71.

Hardin began her collegiate career with three consecutive top 20 finishes, but has struggled a little in the spring. In the fall, she posted a tied for 17th place finish at The Preview, a tied for first place finish at the Franklin Street Trust, and a tied for seventh finish at the Mercedes-Benz. On the season, she has totaled a 75.31 stroke average with one top five finish, four top 10, and seven top 20 finishes.

Hardin played her best golf of the spring in the final regular season tournament at the Bryan National Collegiate where she finished seventh, which included a round of 69 on the final day. She finished tied for 15th at the NCAA East Regional (74-76-74=224).

HANNEMANN, HARDIN QUALIFY FOR OPEN
Junior Candy Hannemann qualified for the 2001 U.S. Open on May 8 in Atlanta, Ga. after firing a 73 at The Standard Course. It is her second time playing in the U.S. Open as she played in 1998 and did not make the cut.

Freshman Leigh Anne Hardin also qualified for the U.S. Open on May 15 at the NCR Country Club in Kettering, Ohio by firing a 70. It is the first time she will be playing in the U.S. Open.

HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME
Freshman Virada "Oui" Nirapathpongporn and junior Candy Hannemann each are heading into the NCAA Championships on fire their last two tournaments. Nirapathpongporn has posted a 70.78 stroke average her last nine rounds of golf, while Hannemann has a 71.78 average in her last three tournaments.

Between the two, each have picked up the individual medallist title in the last three tournaments-- Hannemann at the Bryan National Collegiate and Nirapathpongporn at the ACC Championship and NCAA East Regional.

ALL-ACC BLUE DEVILS
For the second consecutive season, the Duke women's golf team had five members selected All-ACC and swept the Player, Rookie, and Coach of the Year honors.

Junior Candy Hannemann was selected Player of the Year, freshman Virada Nirapathpongporn named Rookie of the Year, and head coach Dan Brooks was selected Coach of the Year.

Hannemann, Nirapathpongporn, Kalen Anderson, Leigh Anne Hardin, and Kristina Engstrom were all selected to the All-ACC team.

It marked the third time Hannemann and Anderson have been selected All-ACC and the second time for Engstrom.

Brooks' honor is the sixth consecutive year he has been named Coach of the Year and the seventh overall.

THE LAST TIME
In the fall, Duke traveled to Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. and brought home The Preview title. Duke was led by Kristina Engstrom and Virada Nirapathpongporn's tied for fourth place finish. Each carded rounds of 75-73 in the rain-shortened tournament.

Leigh Anne Hardin shot 72-79 and finished tied for 17th overall, Kalen Anderson turned in a tied for 22nd finish (78-74), and Candy Hannemann went 74-80 to finish tied for 34th. In the team standings, Duke shot a 595 with Arizona (598), Tennessee (601), Wake Forest (603), and Southern California (605) rounding out the top five.

COVERING THE BLUE DEVILS
Assistant SID Lindy Brown will be arriving on Monday, May 21 in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. and will be staying with the team at the Mission Inn Resort. Brown can be reached at (352) 324-3101 at the Mission Inn Resort. If you cannot get in touch with Brown at this number you can call (919) 684-2664 and leave a voice mail, which will be received that day.