May 16, 2003

After capturing a seventh-place finish at the NCAA East Regionals last weekend in Clemmons, North Carolina, the 15th-ranked South Carolina women’s golf team now heads to the NCAA Championships, to be held at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Indiana, May 20th through 23rd.

This will be South Carolina’s eighth appearance at the Championships and the sixth visit in the nine-year tenure of Head Coach Kristi Coggins. For the first time in school history, the team has advanced to the finals in back-to-back-to-back seasons. South Carolina’s top finish ever was a tie for ninth-place at the 1995 Championships.

South Carolina will be represented by Kristy McPherson, Adrienne Gautreaux, Marci Robinson, Kacy Thompson and Tiffany Catafygiotu. Only Catafygiotu is new to the Gamecock NCAA Championship team as the other four competed last year in Auburn, Washington.

The University of South Carolina women’s golf team advanced to the 2003 NCAA Championships with a seventh-place finish in the NCAA East Regionals held over the weekend at the Salem Glen Country Club in Clemmons, North Carolina. The Gamecocks posted a three-day-score of 884 to advance to the NCAA finals for the eighth time.

The Gamecocks were led by Kristy McPherson who finished second with a four-under par 209 with three par-or-better rounds. It was the 14th par-or-better round in 27 outings this season for the two-time SEC champion.

Adrienne Gautreaux shot a two-over 73 on Saturday to finish in a tie for 40th place (+12, 225). Coming off her career-low round of 70 on Friday, Marci Robinson shot a 76 on the final day to post a three-day total of 227 and tie for 54th place. Kacy Thompson secured a tie for 64th place as the senior carded a 75 on Saturday for a 229 (+16) total. Tiffany Catafygiotu rebounded from a bad day on Friday with a 76 today and finished with a three-day total of 233 (+20), good for a 79th place tie.

South Carolina Sandies
South Carolina is making its eighth appearance at the NCAA Championships … The Gamecocks have advanced to the event for the third consecutive year, which is a USC record … Before this season, USC had previously made two back-to-back postseason trips but this is the first time that a South Carolina golf squad has earned Championship honors over three straight years … This is the sixth Championship appearance under head coach Kristi Coggins … South Carolina’s top finish ever at the NCAA Championships was a ninth-place showng at the 1995 NCAA Championships in Wilmington, NC … Earlier in September, USC participated in the NCAA Fall Preview at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex and recorded a 15th place outing (18 teams) … Kristy McPherson was the only Gamecock to score in the top 20 as the senior finished tied for 10th … In April, McPherson and Adrienne Gautreaux returned to West Lafayette to participate in the Lady Boilermaker Invitational where McPherson captured the title and Gautreaux finished in a tie for 14th place … Kristy McPherson is sixth in the country in par 3 scoring at 3.05 … Teammate Kory Thompson is three spots above her in third place (3.03) but is not competing in this year’s NCAA Championships … McPherson was featured on the April 16th College Central show on the Golf Channel and discussed her two consecutive SEC individual titles, the Gamecocks’ 2002 SEC Team Championship and her struggles with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis … The 2002 SEC team title was the first in South Carolina golf history and Kristy McPherson’s first of two individual championships (2001 & 2002) was the school’s first in the SEC…The South Carolina team is comprised of six natives of the Palmetto State (Battle, Catafygiotu, McPherson, Robinson and the Thompson sisters) … USC will lose two valuable members of the team to graduation this May (Kristy McPherson and Kacey Thompson) but the team will welcome incoming freshman Jenna Pearson from Wheaton, Illinois … Two more student-athletes will also begin competing for South Carolina after sitting out the 2002-2003 season; sophomore Laura McCaslin (Birmingham Southern) and redshirt freshman Megan Miller.