May 11, 2006

Brown Summit, NC - The 20th-ranked Virginia women's golf team is tied for 12th after the opening round of play at the NCAA East Regional being held at Bryan Park Golf Course in Brown Summit, NC. The seventh-seeded Cavaliers shot 15-over 303 during their first round in the 54-hole event that runs through Saturday.

The Cavaliers got off to a solid start Thursday morning and were in good position after they made the turn and were just 3-over through their first 12 holes. Down the stretch, as the winds picked up on the course, Virginia slid back with their four scoring players combining to finish 12 over during their final six holes. Virginia is seven shots behind four teams tied for sixth place. The top eight teams from the regional advance to the NCAA Championships May 23-26 at Ohio State.

Virginia was led by Rachel Smith who shot 1-under 71. Leah Wigger posted a 2-over 74 and Jennie Arseneault shot 6-over 78. Carly Truitt and Lauren Mielbrecht both finished at 80. Smith's score equaled her best 18-hole score for the season.

Smith finished the first day tied for sixth overall while Wigger was UVa's next best player in 31st position. Alabama's Jenny Suh leads the field by one shot at 3-under 69.

LSU and California shared the first-round lead at even par 288. Tennessee was third at 293. Arizona State, the region's top seeded team, was in 15th place at 19-over 307.

The Cavaliers will tee off at 12:30 during Friday's second round of play. Updated scoring of the championship can be found on the Internet at www.golfstat.com. Video highlights of each day of play are available at www.Golfweek.com.

NCAA East Regional Championship
Bryan Park Golf Course
Brown Summit, NC
Par 72, 6,386 yards

Team Results
 1. LSU                288
 1. California         288
 3. Tennessee          292
 4. Auburn             293
 5. Alabama            295
 6. South Carolina     296? 6. North Carolina     296
 6. Vanderbilt         296
 6. Wake Forest        296
10. Florida State      297
11. Furman             298?12. NC State           303
12. Virginia           303
14. Maryland           305
15. Arizona State      307
16. Augusta State      308
16. Campbell           308
16  Yale.              308
19. Col. of Charleston 309
20. East Carolina      313
20. Mississippi State  313
Top Individuals
 1. Jenny Suh, Alabama            69
 2. Melissa Eaton, LSU            70
 2. Mandy Goins, Wake Forest      70
 2. Lauren Smith, August State    70
 2. Marci Turner, Tennessee       70
 6. Rachel Smith, Virginia        71
 6. Sofie Andersson, California   71
 6. Chris Brady, Vanderbilt       71
 6. Jacqui Concolino, Vanderbilt  71
 6. Allison Goodman, California   71
 6. Ashleigh Korzack, Miss St.    71
 6. Rebecca Kuhn, LSU             71
 6. Nicole Smith, Tennessee       71
 6. Carolina Westrup, Florida St. 71
Virginia Results
 6. Rachel Smith       71
31. Leah Wigger        74
71. Jennie Arseneault  78
86. Lauren Mielbrecht  80
86. Carly Truitt       80