Sept. 7, 2002

On September 7th, the USF Women's Golf team is leaving to Fort Collins, Colorado for the Ptarmigan/Ram Fall Invitational, hosted by Colorado State. The Lady Dons are competing in the first event of the 2002-2003 season. Last year, USF finished 2nd, with its best career team score of 895. This year, Coach Sara Range is expecting to win.

"It's not an extremely strong field; we are the highest ranked team going in, so I hope it will be a confidence booster for the team. It's a pretty easy golf course where they can score low. I hope one of them will win it and we'll bring the trophy home," Range said.

SUMMER 2002: A GOOD WAY TO START THE SEASON

Senior Susie Laing probably had the best summer. She played for Scotland in the Home Internationals and in the European National Championships in Moscow, Russia, where they finished 4th out of 16 teams (best ever finish by Scotland). "Susie gained a valuable experience. She played numerous match play tournaments and foursomes, in which you don't have control over what your teammate is going to do, so you have to be creative and open to anything. In addition, Susie played in different conditions and it will be interesting to see her play stroke play and for herself," coach Sara Range said.

Senior Lyndsey Devenish also had a very successful summer. She won the North of Scotland Championship and her county team (Aberdeenshire) won the county Championships. She played lots of match play in various conditions, which helped her gain great experience. Devenish feels she is much more prepared this year to go to the first tournament.

Senior Lisa Chen and Freshman Mariko Shimozaki both qualified for the U.S. Women's Public Links Tournament. Chen qualified but was unable to compete and Shimozaki did not make the cut. "Lisa is very dedicated to golf, she never fails and I am sure she'll be good," coach Sara Range said.

Mariko Shimozaki

Shimozaki, a returning player, had a terrific freshman year and worked on her swing with her dad (former PGA ATP professional golfer Naoki).

"It looks really good; Mariko is a very consistent player, and there is no doubt she'll perform well," said Coach Range.

Junior Jordan Auten played on the NCAA All Star team in Asia for 36 days, where Senior Susie Laing had remarkable performances last year. Range thinks Auten should have her most successful season on the Hilltop.

"Jordan has gain lots of experience, playing on different golf courses and in various conditions; it will help her develop confidence."

Sophomore Laura Viveros played in two events in Colombia finishing 3rd and 5th.

"Laura practiced a lot. I think she'll be good. She's hitting the ball really well. She's gained a lot of distance this year, whereas last year at this time it was hard coming from Colombian altitude to adjust to the sea level," said Coach Sara Range.

"Our attitude towards this team is to do whatever is necessary to get us to Nationals this year and let us achieve our goals." Senior Lyndsey Devenish

Last but certainly not least, freshman Nikki Jacoby, as well as Chen and Shimozaki, tried to qualify for the U.S. Women's Amateur.

"Nikki will be good. She has a very fundamentally sound golf swing. She hits it pretty far and I think she just needs to go through the freshman experience, get some traveling time and adjust to being away from home," said coach Sara Range.

The experience the team gained over the summer is very likely to make a difference on the coming season.

OBJECTIVES FOR 2002-2003: "WE ARE GOING TO NATIONALS"

No doubt! The USF Women's golf team is unanimously aiming for the NCAA Nationals. The Lady Dons nearly made it last year with a scoring average of 300. Coach Sara Range believes that this year, the team has all the abilities to get to a scoring average of 296-298, which definitely makes the team competitive on the national scale.

TEAM SPIRIT

The Lady Dons now have seven members on the team and Range is enthusiastic about the mix of ability and team chemistry.

"I love having seven players, it will be challenging but competitive," said Coach Sara Range. The women's golf team's spirit has become stronger. Sophomore Mariko Shimozaki is looking forward to competing. "We have a great coach, a great team, and we are going to have an awesome year. Our team is so diverse in many ways, especially since we all come from different cultures. We are always learning from each other."

Senior Lyndsey Devenish believes that USF is poised for greatness this season. "Our attitude towards this team is to do whatever is necessary to get us to Nationals this year and let us achieve our goals."

This year, the team will be traveling with a new Lady Don, Emma Rose Range, head Coach Sara Range little girl born April 10th, 2002.

"Emma is a star, she's our "Wee team mascot, and I think it will be good to have her to give us a little bit of humor", said Senior Susie Laing.

The team will be also traveling with Senior Associate Athletic Director Sandee Hill. "Sandee was brilliant last year. She helped us immensely. She is coming to Hawaii this year, which I think will be fantastic, She bonded with our team really well," said Senior Susie Laing.

At the end of January, the team will be going to Carmel on a retreat, with Janet Cole, the volunteer Assistant coach. The Lady Dons will be playing a little bit and will also do some bounding as they did last year before Sara had her baby.

"I think it helped the team to be able to depend on each other and to understand where everyone is coming from. The USF women's golf team is prepared for a good start. In the words of USF's rallying cry, NO DONS DOWN!

**Note: Emilie Arnaud, a three-year letter-winner on the USF women's golf team and an individual qualifier in the 2000 NCAA Regional wrote this preview. A two-time All-West Coast Conference First Team selection, Arnaud was the medallist in the 2001 WCC Tournament as the Lady Dons upset #11 Pepperdine to win their second WCC title.