April 26, 1999

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Sophomore Mike Mitchell turned in the best performance of his career and junior James Driscoll had his second top-10 finish in the last three tournaments to lead the University of Virginia golf team to the team title at the Wofford Invitational in Spartanburg, S.C., this weekend.

The Cavaliers, the only team to break par, fired a 2-under par 862 to finish eight strokes ahead of UNC Charlotte. The win was the Cavaliers' first since capturing the Golf Digest Collegiate Invitational in March 1998. Virginia's performance also marked the first time since the 1998 ACC Tournament that the Cavaliers broke par for a tournament.

Virginia entered Saturday's final round tied with Furman, one stroke behind Virginia Commonwealth, but the Cavaliers fired a final round 286 that enabled them to overtake the Rams and claim the victory.

Mitchell fired a 9-under par 207 (70-69-68) to finish tied for second with Jedd McLuen from the College of Charleston. Mitchell's 68 in the final round ties his collegiate career low. Wake Forest's Michael Capone took medalist honors with an 11-under par 205.

Driscoll finished tied for 10th for the second time this month; he also tied for 10th at the Carpet Capital three weeks ago. Yancey's 16th-place finish was his best since the Carpet Capital. Freshmen Steve Marino and Shivin Kwatra also helped the Cavaliers' cause. Marino struggled to a 79 in the first round, but finished 70-74 to tie for 27th place at 223. Kwatra had his best performance of his collegiate career, finishing in 38th place. He, too, struggled in the first round, but finished with rounds of 73-72 to finish at 225.

The Cavaliers will now await a potential to the NCAA East Regional Tournament. The East Regional will be played May 20-22 in Providence, R.I.

Team Results             Top-10 Individuals
 1. Virginia 862 (-2)    1. Michael Capone, Wake Forest 205 (-11) (68-68-69)
 2. UNC Charlotte 870    2. Mike Mitchell, Virginia 207 (70-69-68)
 3. Augusta State 871    3. Jedd McLuen, Charleston 207
 4. Maryland 871         4. Marc Chatelain, Duke 212
 5. Duke 872             5. Jeffrey Deloach, Furman 213
 6. Charleston 875       6. Gary Mankulish, Maryland 214
 7. VCU 876              7. Neal Kauffman, UNC Charlotte 214
 8. Furman 882           8. Reg Millage, VCU 215
 9. Wake Forest 884      9. Jay McLuen, Charleston 215
10. Wofford 886         10. Jamie Elson, Augusta State 216
11. Old Dominion 906    11. Josh Lower, Wofford 216
12. Chattanooga 909     12. James Driscoll, Virginia 216 (73-70-73)
13. Virginia Tech 917

Other Virginia Golfers:
T16. Cameron Yancey 218 (72-73-73)
T27. Steve Marino 223 (79-70-74)
T38. Shivin Kwatra 225 (80-73-72)