2014-15 @RazorbackWGolf Season Recap

There are many ways to define success but no matter how you define it, the University of Arkansas women’s golf team will fit the definition to a tee.

On the course, in the classroom or in the community, the Razorbacks have enjoyed a successful year in 2014-15. Arkansas earned the program’s first No. 1 national ranking, had a perfect 1,000 Academic Performance Rating (APR), finished third at the NCAA Regional and ninth at the NCAA Championship.

TOURNAMENT RECAPS
Powerade Cougar Classic | 1st/23 teams
Weather was an issue in all three rounds delaying play on Monday, and forcing Tuesday’s start to a shotgun at the Powerade Cougar Classic in Charleston, S.C. Teams were cleared from the course for a lighting delay near the middle of the round and rain suspended play with teams in the final four holes of the event. The @RazorbackWGolf team posted the lowest score of the day with a final round 282, finishing nine-under on the day. Arkansas was 15-under for the tournament at the par 72, 6,204 yard Yeamans Hill course in Charleston, S.C. The back-and-forth battle with No. 3 UCLA came down to the wire but the Razorbacks stayed true to the game plan and finished strong playing the final four holes seven-under as a group to get the seven-shot win. Junior Regina Plasencia tied her second-best collegiate finish with a tie for fifth place overall. The Guadalajara, Mexico, native shot 69-70-69 for a 208, tying her career-best three round score. Plasencia turned even with a birdie and bogey on the front nine. She played the last five holes three under with birdies on the 14th, 15th and 18th holes. Sophomore Summar Roachell posted career numbers as well. The Conway, Ark., native shot a career-best 211 and finished ninth, also a career mark. Roachell shot 72-70-69 for the tournament. Roachell had a colorful scorecard with seven birdies, two bogeys and a double. She played the final four holes three-under for the Razorbacks. Junior Gabriela Lopez finished tied for 13th. The Razorback All-American is fresh off a trip to Japan where she helped Team Mexico in the World Team Amateur Championship. Lopez shot 213 with rounds of 70-73-70. Lopez birdied two of her last four holes. Transfer Samantha Marks tied for 15th overall shooting 214 with rounds of 72-71-71, and freshman Alana Uriell tied for 48th overall shooting 72-75-76=223. Marks birdied two of her last five holes while Uriell birdied 18 making sure every player birdied the final hole.

9/16-18/2014 — Powerade Cougar Classic
Yeamans Hall — Charleston, SC
Par 72, 6204 yards — 23 teams, 115 players

Schooner Fall Classic | 2nd/17 teams
The top-ranked University of Arkansas women’s golf team rallied with a six-under 274 in the final round of the Schooner Fall Classic for a runner-up finish in the second event of the fall. Arkansas, who got out to a slow start in the first round, posted rounds of 272 and 274 for 836. No. 10 Mississippi State won the tournament playing to a 22-under 818 for the victory. Junior Regina Plasencia paced Arkansas tying for seventh overall. Plasencia shot 71-66-70=207, a career-best for the Guadalajara, Mexico, native. Sophomore transfer Samantha Marks jumped up the leaderboard tying for ninth overall – her best finish as a Razorback. Marks shot 76-67-65=208. Sophomore Summar Roachell was solid tying for 16th overall with three perfect rounds of 70-70-79=210 followed by junior Gabriela Lopez who tied for 21st with rounds of 73-69-69=211. Freshman Jordy LaBarbera, in her first event as a Razorbacks and shot 76-75-76=227 and tied for 81st. Freshman Alana Uriell, playing as individual, tied for 86th shooting 85-75-72=232.

10/2-4/2014 — Schooner Fall Classic
Belmar Golf Club — Norman, Okla.
Par 70, 6082 yards — 17 teams, 91 players

Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational | 5th/18 teams
Sophomore Samantha Marks and the third-ranked University of Arkansas women’s golf team finished strong with top-10 finishes at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C. Marks, a Maitland, Fla., native, tied for ninth overall shooting 72-74-70=216, helping @RazorbackWGolf to the third-best round of the day with a 293. Arkansas finished fifth overall in the weather-hampered event shooting 298-291-293=882. Weather delayed the finish of round two and teams had to finish up Sunday morning. Junior Gabriela Lopez and sophomore Summar Roachell shot two-over 74’s in the final round. Lopez tied for 19th overall shooting 75-71-74=220. Roachell and Jordy LaBarbera both tied for 46th overall. Roachell posted rounds of 78-75-74=227 and LaBarbera shot 77-71-79=227. Junior Regina Plasencia finished tied for 73rd with rounds of 74-83-75=232.

10/7-9/2014 — Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational
NC FInley Golf Course — Chapel Hill, N.C.
Par 72, 6379 yards — 18 teams, 100 players

The Alamo Invitational | 2nd/15 teams
The No. 5/7 University of Arkansas women’s golf team wrapped up the fall with an impressive final round with two scores in the sixties as Gabriela Lopez shot a 4-under par 68 and Regina Plasencia carded a 3-under par 69. Arkansas posted a runner-up finish after shooting a 16-under par, 848 (275-292-281). Lopez recorded seven birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey in her final round. The Mexico City, Mexico, native finished third overall. Lopez was the low score for her team for the tournament, where she finished with a 9-under par 207 with rounds of 68-71-68. For the final round of the tournament, Arkansas counted a 3-under par 69 from Plasencia, a 72 by Samantha Marks, a 72 by Summar Roachell, and Kayli Quinton shot a 75. Plasencia tied for eighth overall shooting 70-72-69=211. Marks posted rounds of 68-77-72=217 and tied for 24th overall. Roachell was 29th shooting 69-78-72=219 and Quinton rounded out the Razorback scores shooting 73-72-75=220 and finishing 32nd overall.

10/24-26/2014 — Alamo Invitational
The Briggs Ranch Golf Club — San Antonio, Texas
Par 72, 6428 yards — 15 teams, 77 players

The Lady Puerto Rico Classic |1st/15 teams
The fourth-ranked University of Arkansas women’s golf team defended its title winning the 2015 Lady Puerto Rico Classic in Rio Del Mar, Puerto Rico. The Razorbacks finished with a 12-over 876 winning by seven strokes. Arkansas was making its sixth appearance at the event and has won the last two tournaments. It is the second tournament win of the season for the Razorbacks. Junior Gabriela Lopez tied for third overall leading three Razorbacks in the top 10. Lopez, a Mexico City, Mexico, native, fired rounds of 69-75-71 for a 215, finishing one-under for the three rounds. Lopez was the low Razorbacks for the day on Tuesday. She turned one-over and birdied the 10th, 11th and 12th holes and played the final six holes one-over for the round. Sophomore Summar Roachell and freshman Jordy LaBarbera tied for eighth overall shooting two-over 218. Roachell carded rounds of 72-72-74, and LaBarbera shot 75-73-70. Roachell’s tie for eighth is her career-best finish for the Coway, Ark., native. She matched Lopez through the first nine holes posting just one bogey on the ninth hole. She was even on the next four holes before finishing with a two-over 74. LaBarbara also recorded a career-best finish tying for eighth overall. She was two-under at the turn and even on the back nine. Her 218 is nine strokes lower than her previous collegiate best score. Junior Regina Plasencia finished tied for 30th overall with rounds of 74-75-77=226 and sophomore Kayli Quinton tied for 63rd overall shooing 79-82-76=237. Sophomore transfer Samantha Marks, competition as an individual, tied for 34th overall shooting 77-74-77=228.

2/13-15/2015 — Lady Puerto Rico Classic
River Course — Rio Del Mar, Puerto Rico
Par 72, 6191 yards — 15 teams, 82 players

Darius Rucker Intercollegiate | 9th/17 teams
Junior Gabriela Lopez paced the No. 4/5 University of Arkansas women’s golf team to a ninth place finish at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate at Hilton Head Island, S.C. The Razorbacks battled tough conditions, a challenging course and one of the toughest fields of the season this weekend at the Long Cove Club. Lopez paced Arkansas tying for 23rd overall shooting 223 while helping the Razorbacks to a 901 for the tournament. Arkansas shot 293-306-302 for the weekend. Sixth-ranked Duke hung on for the win followed by No. 8 LSU and No. 2 Southern California who tied for second overall. Lopez was in the clubhouse with rounds of 70-76-77=223. She was two-over heading into her final three holes but struggled to finish and was four-over on 16, 17 and 18. Junior Regina Plasencia finished tied for 30th overall. Plasencia shot 72-80-73=225 and had the low round of the day with her 73. Sophomore Summar Roachell finished tied for 47th shooting 75-78-80=235 followed by sophomore Samantha Marks who tied for 54th with 78-72-79=229. Freshman Jordy LaBarbera rounded out the Razorback scores with a 76-85-77=238. She tied for 75th overall.

3/3-5/2015 — 4th Annual Darius Rucker Intercollegiate
Long Cove Club — Hilton Head Island, SC
Par 71, 622 yards — 17 teams, 90 players

Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic | 3rd/12 teams
Junior Regina Plasencia fired a one-under 71 in stroke play action to capture her first collegiate win at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga. The Guadalajara, Mexico, native is the stroke play winner of the tournament and she paced Arkansas to a third-place team finish in stroke play. Plasencia was the only player to shoot below par for the day. Arkansas posted a 21-over 309 and finished third overall. Fourth-ranked UCLA was first shooting a 301 followed by No. 3 South Carolina with 308. The seventh-ranked Razorbacks edged No. 5 Duke with 310 and No. 34 Baylor rounded out the top five with 311. Junior Gabriela Lopez finished tied for 15th overall shooting a five-over 77. Sophomore Samantha Marks was tied for 24th overall with 79, followed by freshman Jordy LaBarbera who tied for 40th with 82. Sophomore Summar Roachell rounded out the Arkansas’ scores shooting 84 to tie for 48th overall. Arkansas went 1-2 in match play as the weekend continued.

3/28-30/2015 — Liz Murphey Intercollegiate Classic
UGA Golf Course — Athens, Ga.
Par 72, 6404 yards — 12 teams, 60 players

PING ASU Classic | 11th/15 teams
University of Arkansas junior Gabriela Lopez posted a final round 74 tying for sixth place at the PING/ASU Invitational in Tempe, Ariz. The Mexico City, Mexico, native, shot 214 with rounds of 70-70-74. Lopez opened her final round on the 10th hole and turned even with two birdies and two bogeys. She added a pair of bogeys on the front nine to finish plus-two for the day. The seventh-ranked Razorbacks were 13-over in the final round and finished 11th against a very talented field. Arkansas posted scores of 283-298-301=883. Junior Regina Plasencia finished tied for 34th overall shooting 69-75-77=221. Sophomore Summar Roachell was tied for 45th with 73-76-74=223, followed by sophomore Samantha Marks who finished tied for 70th with rounds of 72-77-80=229. Freshman Alana Uriell rounded out the Razorback scores and finished tied for 77th overall with 78-77-76=231.

4/10-12/2015 — ASU PING Classic
Karsten Golf Course at ASU — Tempe, Ariz.
Par 72, 6223 yards — 15 teams, 87 players

SEC Championship | 8th/14 teams
University of Arkansas junior Gabriela Lopez posted her third top-10 finish of the year tying for seventh-place at the 2015 Southeastern Conference Championship at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Hoover, Ala. The ninth-ranked Razorbacks finished eighth overall in the rain-soaked event. Sunday’s final round featured a delayed shotgun start and a 55-minute rain delay as teams tried to finish the round. Lopez was solid in the tough conditions shooting 71-70-73=214 tying for seventh place. Her final round saw Lopez played the back nine even with a bogey on the 10th hole and a birdie on the par 4, 365-yard 15th hole. She added a bogey and birdie on two and three, respectively, filling the rest of her scorecard with par holes. Freshman Alana Uriell tied for 27th overall in her first SEC Championship. The Carlsbad, Calif., native shot 73-74-75=222 for the Razorbacks. Junior Regina Plasenica tied for 44th shooting 228 with rounds of 79-76-73, followed by sophomore Samantha Marks who tied for 50th overall shooting 81-72-77=231. Sophomore Summar Roachell rounded out the Razorback scores. The Conway, Ark., native tied for 56th shooting 77-77-78=232. As a team, the Razorbacks were 27-over shooting 300-293-298=891. Thirteenth-ranked Texas A&M won the team title with 851, followed by No. 2 South Carolina with 863, No. 17 Vanderbilt with 867, No. 14 Tennessee with 878 and No. 30 Alabama rounding out the top five with 884.

4/17-19/2015 — 2015 SEC Championship
Legacy Course at Greystone Golf and CC — Hoover, Ala.
Par 72, 6308 yards — 14 teams, 70 players

NCAA ST. GEORGE, UTAH REGONAL | 3rd/18 teams
Freshman Alana Uriell and junior Gabriela Lopez tied for second place overall leading the eighth-ranked University of Arkansas women’s golf team to a third-place finish and a trip to the NCAA Championship. Uriell fired a collegiate career best 69 in the final round shooting 75-72-69=216, also her best total for a college round. Lopez shot 73-72-71=216 and the duo’s second-place finishes are the best in Razorback program history. Uriell’s final round opened with seven consecutive par holes before she birdied eight and nine to turn two-under. The freshman added a birdie on the 11th hole and finished strong with four par holes on the toughest part of the course. Lopez had a more colorful scorecard with two birdies and two bogeys on the front side. She added a bogey on 10 but got the stroke back moving to even par with a two on the par-three 12th hole. Lopez was even par for her final six holes. With the top six finish, the Razorbacks move on to the NCAA Championship in Bradenton, Fla., May 22-27. It is the seventh NCAA Championship appearance for the Razorbacks, all with head coach Shauna Estes-Taylor on staff. The challenging and always changing conditions made for some interesting golf but Arkansas rallied as the tournament wore on getting better with each round, 306-296-290=892. Junior Regina Plasencia and sophomore Samantha Marks tied for 50th overall. Plasencia shot 82-75-74=231 while Marks carded 76-79-76=231. Sophomore Summar Roachell rounded out the Arkansas scores shooting 82-77-77=236 to tie for 72nd overall.

5/7-9/2015 — NCAA Regional Championship Entrada at Snow Canyon — St. George, Utah
Par 71, 6255 yards — 24 teams, 96 players

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP | 9th/24 teams
University of Arkansas junior Gabriela Lopez posted a final round 66 and finished as the NCAA Women’s Golf individual runner-up at Concessions Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla. Lopez and the eighth-ranked Razorbacks scratched their way into the top 15 teams and advanced to the fourth and final round of stroke play competition. Arkansas hoped to be in the top eight by the end of the day today to move on to match play and, despite posting their best round of the tournament, finished ninth, three strokes back of eighth place. Lopez finished tied for second overall shooting 70-76-74-66=286. Lopez opened her round on the 10th hole of the course. She birdied No. 12, No. 13 and No. 15 to turn at three-under. On the 12th hole, Lopez, who posted a bogey-free round, hit the green on her tee shot and two-putted on the par four. She followed up on 13 where she launched her third shot over the pin but got great spin and the ball rolled back for an eight-inch birdie putt. She added her third birdied of the day on the par four 15th hole. She was longest in her group off the tee and flew her second shot to three foot of the pin. She sank the birdie putt moving to three-under. Lopez pared the next five holes before an incredible eagle, the second of the week for her, on No. 3, her 12thhole of the day. Lopez was good off the tee on the 511-yard par five but her second shot hit the green and rolled off into a large undulation on the left side of the hole. Lopez was 40 yards from the pin and chipped the ball up onto the green where it rolled in for eagle. That shot moved Lopez to five-under for her round. She added five more par holes before a final birdie on the ninth hole. The Mexico City, Mexico, native was in the bunker off the tee. She had 147 to the pin and hit a seven-iron out of the sand to 10 foot and flag high. Lopez rolled in the 10-footer for the birdie. As a team, the Razorbacks finished the team competition ninth overall shooting 310-306-303-298=1217. Freshman Alana Uriell finished 48th shooting 80-72-80-76=309, in her first NCAA Championship appearance. Junior Regina Plasencia, who qualified last week for the U.S. Women’s Open, finished tied for 51st shooting 77-79-77-78=311. Sophomore Samantha Marks tied for 73rd overall shooting 85-81-75-78=319 and sophomore Summar Roachell rounded out the Razorback scoring shooting 83-78-77-82=320 and tied for 76th overall.

5/22-25/2015 — NCAA Championship
Concession Golf Club — Bradenton, Fla.
Par 72, 6468 yards — 23 teams, 84 players

HONORS AND AWARDS
Honda Women’s Golf Award Finalist: Gabriela Lopez
University of Arkansas junior Gabriela Lopez was named as a Honda Golf Award nominee by the CWSA and the Honda Awards committee the organizations announced in June. Lopez, who played to an NCAA runner-up final at the national championship May 25 and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open June 3, I three-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American. She ranks third in the final Golfstat.com rankings after posting a bogey-free final round 66 at the NCAA Championship. Lopez is ranked No. 5 by Golfweek.com and No. 4 in the Southeastern Conference. The two-time All-SEC First-Team selection has 50 head-to-head wins against players in the top 25 this year and she led the team with a 71.75 stroke average. Lopez finished the season with four consecutive top-10 finishes. Lopez is one of three Razorback women’s golfers to be nominated. Former Razorback Stacy Lewis was a nominee in 2007, after winning the NCAA individual title, and 2008 and Kelli Shean, who also played to a runner-up finish, was a nominee in 2011.

WGCA All-American: Gabriela Lopez (first team)
All-SEC: Gabriela Lopez (first team); Regina Plasencia (second team)
SEC Community Service Team: Summar Roachell
SEC Freshman Golfer of the Week: Jordy LaBarbera (Feb. 18)
SEC Co-Golfer of the Week: Regina Plasencia (April 2)
All-Region Team: Gabriela Lopez, Alana Uriell

NATIONAL RANKINGS
Final: Golfstat: No. 9 | Golfweek: No. 8
Preseason: Golfweek: No. 6
Before Cougar: Golfstat: No. 7 | Golfweek: No. 9
Before Schooner: Golfstat: No. 1
Before Tar Heel Invitational: Golfstat: No. 2
Before Alamo Invitational: Golfstat: No. 5 | Golfweek: No. 7
Before Puerto Rico: Golfstat: No. 4
Before Darius: Golfstat: No. 4 | Golfweek: No. 5
Before Liz Murphey: Golfstat: No. 7 | Golfweek: No. 8
Before PING: Golfstat: No. 7
Before SEC: Golfstat: No. 7
Before NCAA Regional: Golfstat: No. 8
Before NCAA Championship: Golfstat: No. 8

IN THE CLASSROOM
WGCA All-Scholar Team: TBA
SEC Academic Honor Roll: TBA
University of Arkansas Athletics Department Academic Honor Roll:Honor Roll (3.00-3.49 GPA): Jordy LaBarbera (Fall 2014, Spring 2015); Olivia Lavy (Spring 2015), Samantha Marks (Fall 2014, Spring 2015), Summar Roachell (Fall 2014, Spring 2015); Alana Uriell (Fall 2014); Regina Plasencia (Fall 2014), Gabriela Lopez (Fall 2014).Athletic Director’s List (3.50-3.99 GPA): Olivia Lavy (Fall 2014); Gabriela Lopez (Spring 2015); Regina Plasencia (Spring 2015), Kayli Quinton (Spring 2015).Academic Champion (4.00 GPA): Kayli Quinton (Fall 2014); Shawn Rennegarbe (Fall 2014, Spring 2015) NCAA Public Recognition Award: 2013-14 (Women’s Golf); Perfect 1,000 APR

IN THE COMMUNITY
SEC Community Service Team: Summar Roachell
Roachell is a business major and has competed in every event since joining the team last season. Her community service events include Sweat Hogs where she visited with local elementary schools; Special Olympics Area Games; Book Hogs Read To Win Program; volunteered at the Oklahoma Kid’s Cancer Center; Potter’s House meals; participated in the Jingle Bell 5K run for arthritis; Ronald McDonald House volunteer; Shop with the Razorbacks and serving Thanksgiving Lunch at Homestyle Assisted Living Center.

AMATEUR EVENTS
Walmart NWA LPGA Championship Presented by P&G:

Sponsor’s Exemption: Gabriela Lopez

Monday Qualifier: Regina Plasencia, Samantha Marks

U.S. Women’s Open: Regina Plasencia, Gabriela Lopez