Hurricanes Complete First Season Under Coach Rizzo
July 8, 2011
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Change was in the air around the University of Miami women’s golf team during the 2010-11 season as former Canes great Patti Rizzo took over as the head coach, replacing Lela Cannon, who had been the coach for the previous 27 seasons. The team hit some bumps in the fall season, but rebounded to put together a solid spring campaign, including one team win and an individual berth in the NCAA Regionals.
Senior Maria Ronderos led the Hurricanes with her consistent play throughout the year. The Columbia native recorded the seventh-lowest stroke average (74.68) in program history, leading to an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals. Ronderos also excelled in the classroom, being one of six ACC golfers named to both the All-ACC and All-ACC Academic teams.
Rizzo was hired by then Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt as the coach of the Hurricanes on April 28, 2010, taking over five-time national championship program. She had been at nearby Barry University for the previous five seasons, coaching the Bucs to four consecutive NCAA DII Regional appearances and two national tournament appearances.
“I’m extremely excited,” Rizzo said at the time she was hired at UM. “I’ve been dreaming of this opportunity. I started my career at the University of Miami and things have come full circle where I have the chance to finish up where I started. I am so appreciative of the support from my family, friends and the people at Miami. I am just so thrilled to be back.”
Rizzo was a standout during her playing career at UM, earning All-America honors in 1981. She was Golf Digest‘s top-ranked amateur in the country in 1980 and GOLF Magazine‘s top-ranked collegiate player in 1981. Afterwards, she went on to have a successful 20-year LPGA career before becoming a coach.
Rizzo was a natural fit to take over the program.
The Rizzo era officially began in mid-September at the Cougar Classic in Hanahan, S.C. The team finished in 19th place, but Rizzo was encouraged from what she saw early on from the squad.
“They improved everyday as the tournament went on. I think they’re only going to get better and better as the year goes on. Their attitudes are wonderful, and they’ve been a joy to work with.”
That tournament is also when everyone realized that Ronderos was going to have a special year. She ended the event with rounds of 72 and 73 to set the course for her final year golfing for the Hurricanes.
Ronderos would go on to record her first top-15 finish of the year later in the month at the Starmount Forest Fall Classic in Greensboro, N.C. However, the team placed in 12th out of 15 teams.
The Hurricanes had a similar fate as a team at the USF-Waterlefe Invitational in Bradenton, Fla., but Ronderos continued her stellar play, starting a streak of seven-straight top-10 finishes.
The fall season concluded at the Palmetto Intercollegiate in Kiawah Island, S.C. with the Canes placing in 12th. That weekend was the breakout weekend for freshman Carina Cuculiza. The Nicaraguan carded a season-low 69 in the opening round, going on to finish in a tie for eighth place overall.
For the fall season, Ronderos led the team with a 73.91 stroke average. As a team, the Canes averaged 313.36 strokes per round – a mark they set out to improve on in the spring.
“The fall was tough,” said Coach Rizzo in February. “Unfortunately we only had four players that could play because of injuries. We really struggled, but we have eight girls ready to go this spring – we are ready to `rock and roll.'”
Additionally, Rizzo and assistant coach John Koskinen were turning the program around to bring the Canes back into national contention.
“We are already off to a speedy start,” said Rizzo. “We have a lot of great things going for us, including our own van and a new range built. The university is totally behind us.”
The start of the spring season saw a shakeup in the lineup as well. Junior Jennifer Hirano returned to the course after a wrist injury kept her away in the fall, and the Hurricanes welcomed transfer Patricia Arana to the team. Ronderos continued playing at the number one spot, with Christina Hirano and Cuculiza also as playing as starters. Diana Fisher additionally saw action in three spring tournaments.
Back on the course, the Hurricanes teed off the spring season at the JU Classic in Jacksonville, Fla. to success with a second place team finish, including an opening round score of 299. Miami placed four players in the top ten – with sisters Christina (T7) and Jennifer Hirano (T9) recording their top finishes of the year.
The momentum in Jacksonville carried over two weeks later at the Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Classic in Kiawah Island, S.C., with the Canes winning the largest women’s collegiate golf tournament in the country. A total of 33 teams and 173 players took part with the Canes coming out on top. It marked the third straight year Miami won this event.
“The thing that impresses me the most is the attitude of the team,” said Rizzo. “They stayed focused and did not let bad shots take them off their game. They played great and I am very proud of this team.”
The highlight of the season, this win showed what Miami was capable of accomplishing when at full strength. Ronderos was named to the All-Tournament team, finishing in fifth place in the field. Jennifer Hirano also picked up a top-10 finish.
“The girls really liked the design of the courses since it played well into their games,” said Coach Rizzo. “Our strength is our accuracy and the courses called for a shorter and straighter game.”
The next tournament was a short trip to Weston, Fla. for the Sir Pizza Cards Challenge. After leading following the first round, Miami slipped to an eighth place finish. Arana highlighted the week with a one-under par 71 in the opening round.
Miami saw mixed results in the final two regular season events – the Eagle Landing Invitational (T4) in Jacksonville and the John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate (T14) in Stockbridge, Ga. Ronderos played her best golf of the year in Jacksonville, placing in third. She also carded the lowest round, 67, of any Hurricane on the year in the third round that week.
The ACC Championships in Greensboro, N.C. did not go as smoothly as planned. With the team battling injuries once again, Miami placed in eighth to end the year.
However, Ronderos earned an at-large selection to the NCAA East Regional in Daytona Beach, Fla. – the first Hurricane to earn a bid since Tina Miller in 2003. Ronderos finished her career with rounds of 79, 80 and 80 on the Legends Course at LPGA International.
Ronderos and Christina Hirano each graduated from the University of Miami in May with degrees in Civil & Architectural Engineering and Kinesiology & Sports Sciences, respectively.
The Hurricanes also earned a Public Recognition Award from the NCAA for high scores in the Academic Progress Rate (APR) after the season.
“Academics is a high priority on our list,” said Rizzo. “All players know that academics are equally as important as successful golf. They all work hard and I’m proud of them and they know it.”
Even with the ups and downs on the course and the battle with injuries, Rizzo deemed her first season a success towards building the program into a national championship contender.
“It was a great year and great experience for me,” said Rizzo. “We worked really hard to turn the program around. The team was great to coach and we are on an upswing here.”
