The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 16, 2002, Image 32
Women’s golf set to defend SEC title
BY MATT ROTHENBERG
THE (jAMEGOCK
After clinching their first
Southeastern Conference
Championship in the spring, fol
lowed by an impressive showing
at the NCAA's and solid individu
al performances during the sum
mer, the Lady Gamecock golf team
will have its opponents shaking in
their spikes this fall. USC finished
the 2001-02 season ranked No. 22
in the nation.
Head coach Kristi Coggins re
turns for her ninth season at the
helm of a very talented and expe
rienced squad: Having lost only
one senior (Reetta Laakonen)
from the spring, Coggins' team re
tains much of the ingredients
needed to fuel another run to an
SEC title and an NCAA appear
ance.
Carolina’s leader on the links is
senior Kristy McPherson, a two
time defending SEC champion
and First Team All-American.
McPherson also had the opportu
nity to represent her country this
summer against Japan in a colle
giate golf championship series.
Shooting a 71 in the final round of
play, McPherson - named women's
MVP - defeated Chiharu
Tsunekawa to clinch the champi
onship for the United States.
In other summer action,
McPherson reached the round of
16 at the Western Amateur
Championship. Not to be outdone,
fellow senior Kacy Thompson en
ters the fall with international ex
perience from this past summer.
Thompson, with four Top 20 fin
ishes in the spring, was part of a
group of United States All-Stars
that played on a tour of Japan,
Korea and Hong Kong and helped
her group win the title in Japan.
Big things are expected out of
the Lady Gamecocks' three ju
niors: Marci Robinson, Adrienne
Gautreaux, and Kory Thompson.
Robinson finished strong down
the stretch in the spring, landing
in 22nd place at the SEC
Championships. In June, she won
the City Championship, firing a 3
over-74 in the last round, while
leading the tournament from start
to finish.
Gautreaux participated in all
the tournaments last season and
made her USC debut in style, fin
ishing fourth in The Dodge
ACC/SEC Shootout. Her 76.67
strokes per round average placed
her second on the team only to
McPherson. Kory Thompson did
not see much action in the spring
but should get an increased role
this fall. She shot a season-low
round of 73 at the Lady Paladin
Invitational.
Carolina also has a pair of
sophomores that should figure
highly into Coggins' plans this fall.
Tiffany Catafygiotu and Erin
Hallman both will participate in
more tournaments in the 2002-03
season. While Hallman did not see
any action this past season, she
can definitely play her way into
the rotation. Catafygiotu, howev
er, played in four tournaments,
posting a low round of 75 at both
the Lady Gator Invitational and
the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic.
Erica Battle of Irmo and Megan
Miller of Murrells Inlet are the
newcomers to a veteran-laden
Lady Gamecock golf team.
USC begins its quest for anoth
er SEC Championship and a third
straight NCAA appearance at the
NCAA Fall Preview in Lafayette,
Ind., from Sept. 15-17.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecocksports@hotmail.com
I
Prize issued as music cash.
Redeemable at 48 participating music retailers.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR
CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Game runs May 13, 2002 to
February 8, 2003. Open to legal ll.S. residents 18 years of age or older. Game pieces available on
specially marked packages of Accent Highlighters, or by mail by sending a game piece request to:
Accent Music Cash Game, P.0. Box 2067, Maryland Heights, MO 63043 while supplies last. Mail-in
requests must be accompanied by a self addressed envelope (VI residents omit return postage)
and must be postmarked by February 8, 2003. Total value of ail prizes: $1,380,000. Subject to
complete Official Rules available by mail at P.O. Box 1368, Maryland Heights, MO 63043.
©2002 SANFORD. Bellwood, Illinois 60104 A Division of Newell Rubbermaid.
Calling
Card
Calling home has become cheaper
El Long distance calls 4.9 cents a minute
0 No hidden charges
El No monthly fees
El Same rates 24/7
El Automatic recharge by credit card
El Dedicated customer service
Customized services for international students
El Health insurance as low as $27 per month
El Health insurance for non-US citizen
$52 per month under age 40
E3 Dental Plans - $27 per month (available to all)
m The International Spirit magazine
Call today and receive it FREE of charge
International Rates
Argentina 0.13 France 0.08
Brazil 0.11 Germany 0.07
Canada 0.05 Guatemala 0.22
China 0.10 Hong-Kong 0.08
Columbia 0.12 India 0.51
El Salvador 0.15 Italy 0.07
Japan 0.08 Philippines 0.15
Mexico City 0.10 Moscow 0.08
Poland 0.14 Spain 0-09
Pakistan 0.43 South Korea 0.13
Peru 0.17 Taiwan 0.08
UK 0.06 Veenezuela 0.21
For updated rates to other countries visit
www.isoa.org 1-800-244-1180
~- "
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
Marcy Robinson finished 22nd at the SEC Championships last
year. She won the Columbia City Championships In June.
Men’s golf team tee
off at Kiawah Island
BY FOZAIL ALVI
THE GAMECOCK
Loaded with young talent
and a solid core of returning
starters, the Gamecock golf
team will open its 2002-2003
season on Sept. 9 at the
Cleveland Golf Kiawah Island
Tournament in Charleston,
S.C.
Last season, Head Coach
Puggy Blackmon did wonders
with the youngest squad in his
19 years of coaching. The
Gamecocks will return all but
one starter, lone senior Brent
Delahoussaye, for this year's
run towards Stillwater, Okla.,
site of the NCAA Finals
Championships.
Last season's 25th place-fin
ish in the NCAA East
Regionals marked just the sec
ond time in Blackmon's 7-year
stint at USC that his
Gamecocks have failed to ad
vance to the NCAA Finals, and
Blackmon will surely use that
as motivation for this year.
Blackmon will turn to re
turning leaders Martin
Rominger, Alex Hamilton,
Scott Feaster and Nash Elliot
to lead the young squad.
Rominger and Hamilton head
a deep sophomore class, which
has been getting plenty of me
dia coverage in the months
leading up to the season. Jake
Thompson stood near the
leaderboard after two rounds
at the South Carolina State
Amateur, while fellow second
year teammate Jonathan
Jackson qualified for the U.S.
Amateur by shooting an 8-un
der-par 136 to decisively win
the Amateur tournament in his
native North Carolina.
Blackmon, who is known for
his recruiting prowess in his
12 years as head coach at
Georgia Tech, recently added
junior college transfer Spence
Andrews to replace the roster
spot left by Delahoussaye.
Andrews joins the Gamecocks
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
Alex Hamilton will return for
his sophomore year at USC.
from John A. Logan junior col
lege where he was named an
All-American in both years of
play. The native of Glenn
Allen, Va., helped the
Volunteers to a sixth-place fin
ish in 2001 and a fourth-placp
finish this past season, while
also cracking the top three
spots in the individual rank
ings.
The Cleveland tournament
was the last competition fob
the USC golfers one season age
before heading into the SEC
Championships. The
Gamecocks took ninth place in
the tournament, held in
Augusta, Ga., before struggling
to a 10th place-finish in the
SEC Tournament two weeks
later. The team still managed,
however, to earn their seventh
consecutive NCAA
Tournament appearance.
Led by then-freshmen
Hamilton, Rominger and
Jackson, the team played well
at the NCAA Tournament be
fore falling apart in the last
day of the tournament, shoot
ing a team total of 329 to drop
from 16th place to 25th place in
one day. With one year of ex
perience now under their belt,
the three golfers now hope to
lead USC and Blackmon back
to the NCAA Tournament and
beyond.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecocksports@hotmail.com
VEWBRADLEY
largest selection
in Columbia
classic black
Initially Yours
■coiumBin
BB LUGGAGE
1111 Lady St.
765-9010
Next to Chik-Fil-A