Arkansas Golf Fact Sheet #2

Arkansas Golf Fact Sheet #2 – NCAA Preview MeetArkansas travels to NCAA PreviewThe Lady Razorbacks make a quick turn-around returning to the road at the NCAA Preview Meet in Daytona Beach, Fla., this weekend. Arkansas and the rest of the field, get a chance to play the LPGA International Course – the site of the 2007 NCAA Championship.
About the last outingStatistically speaking, Arkansas struggled in the opener at the Mason Rudolph Championship. The Lady’Backs finished 12th overall with a 902. On the plus side, Arkansas finished better than SEC rival Alabama and was within striking distance of SEC foe LSU.
Louie! LouieArkansas junior Stacy Lewis is currently the No. 1 ranked amateur in the country. Lewis had an amazing summer with a runner-up finish at the Southern Amateur, a win at the Western Amateur, a semifinal finish at the U.S. Women’s Amateur and she became the first Lady’Back to take part in an LPGA event at the Jamie Farr Ownes Corning Classic. Lewis wrapped up her summer at the World University Games in Tornio, Italy. Lewis is ranked 19th in the Golfweek poll after one event this year. Here’s a look at that impressive list.
About the fieldArkansas faces one of the toughest fields in collegiate golf outside of the NCAA Championship this week. The 18-team field is highlighted by two-time defending and top-ranked Duke. There are nine teams ranked in the top 10 in the preseason GolfWorld poll and six teams who are in the top 10 of the Golfweek poll that was updated after the first week of play.
Frequent Flyer miles to the Sunshine StateArkansas should ask for frequent flyer miles to Florida. This weekend’s trip is the first of five trips to the Sunshine State. Arkansas also travels to the Hooters Match Play Championship (Orlando), the Central District Invitational (Parrish), the UCF Invitational (Grand Cypress) and the the NCAA Championship (Daytona Beach).
Top 20 againArkansas begins the 2006-07 season ranked No. 20 in the GolfWorld.com poll. It might seem a little low after the Lady’Backs’ 10th place finish at the NCAA Championship last year but the graduation of four seniors from that squad might have influenced voters. Two-time defending national champion Duke tops the poll followed by Arizona State, Georgia, Auburn and Purdue to round out the top five. Pepperdine ranks sixth, followed by UCLA, USC, Florida, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Arizona, Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Stanford, California, UNLV and Arkansas to complete the top 20.
Who’se making the trip?Arkansas head coach Kelley Hester is shuffling the lineup a bit this week. Stacy Lewis, Ashley Medders, Lucy Nunn and Alexandrea Schulte will all make their second consecutive appearance in the Cardinal and White. Joining them for her first collegiate event is redshirt freshman Tanica van As.
About the traveling fiveStacy Lewis is the top returning Lady Razorback for the 2006-07 season. A two-time National Golf Coaches Association for Women all-American and a two-time first-team all-Southeastern Conference selection, Lewis holds nearly every individual record at Arkansas. See the list to the left of this page. Lewis finished tied for 11th at the Mason Rudolph last week.Alexandrea Schulte is one of the top recruits for Arkansas this year. She enjoyed a bit of a jump start on her Lady Razorback career competing in several summer events with her future teammates. Schulte was a three-time Oklahoma state medalist and an all-conference selection at Broken Arrow High School.Ashely Medders came on strong for Arkansas last year. Medders competed in nine events including the NCAA Regional and National Championships. She is the school record-holder for the lowest three-round tournament score with a 212 posted in a win at the 2006 Tyson/Embassy Suites Invitational.Lucy Nunn played in five events for Arkansas last year but had the opportunity to travel to others including the NCAA Regional and National Championships. Nunn’s career-best is a 72 and her best three-round total was a 226 at the Mason Rudolph Championship last year.Tanica van As joined the Lady Razorbacks in January redshirting her first semester. She is making her first trip as a collegiate golfer with the Lady’Backs this week.
Lady’Backs 20th in GolfWorld Preseason PollAs a team, the Lady Razorbacks check in at No. 20 and are one of seven SEC teams in the top 25. Arkansas finished a program best 10th at last year’s NCAA Championship highlighted by a ninth place finish from Lewis. But the Lady Razorbacks graduated four players, three of whom were regulars in the traveling five. Gone are Amanda McCurdy, Courtney Mahon, Lindsey Hinshaw and Sarah Trew, leaving behind a young team with no seniors for Hester this year.
Lewis third in GolfWorld Preseason PollUniversity of Arkansas junior golfer Stacy Lewis is ranked third in the GolfWorld preseason poll released this September. Lewis, a Woodlands, Texas, native, has had a record-setting career at Arkansas with two seasons still remaining. Currently the number one ranked amateur, Lewis’ collegiate career includes medalist honors as a freshman at the Southeastern Conference Championship, back-to-back SEC first-team selections and a pair of National Golf Coaches Association for Women all-America honors. “I think that Stacy had a stand out freshman year,” said Arkansas head coach Kelley Hester. “Her stroke average was again really good last year but she lacked a couple of the tournament wins. This summer established her as one of the top amateur players and one of the top collegiate players in country. I think it’s about right. She’d like to be number one on that list and that’s one of her goals for the year.”
Arkansas is 27th in this week’s Golfweek pollThe Lady Razorbacks jump into the computer-generated poll at No. 27 this week with one event under their belts. Here’s the complete poll.