@HurricanesGolf Opens Spring Slate on Monday
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s golf team opens the spring portion of its 2014-15 schedule as it travels to Lecanto, Fla. to compete in the 2015 Florida Challenge.
THE BASICS
-The one-day tournament will consist of 36 holes at the Black Diamond Golf and Country Club.
-Play will begin at 7 a.m. with a shotgun start.
THE TEAMS (Rankings according to GolfStat.com)
-No. 71 FIU
-No. 38 Florida State
-No. 43 Florida
-No. 45 Miami
-No. 65 USF
THE STARTERS
Daniela Darquea
-Opened the 2014-15 season by finishing 13th at the East & West Match Play Challenge.
-Placed 10th at the Windy City Collegiate Classic this past fall.
-Earned All-America honors following the 2013-14 season as a true freshman.
Kailey Walsh
-Tied for sixth at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational.
-Tied for 16th at the East & West Match Play Challenge.
-Named to the 2014 All-ACC Academic Team.
Leti Ras-Anderica
-Closed out the fall campaign by tying for 27th at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational.
-Finished tied for 16th after stroke play at East & West Match Play Challenge.
-Named to the 2014 All-ACC Academic Team.
Delfina Acosta
-Closed out the year by tying for 19th a the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational.
-Saw action in every tournament during the fall campaign.
-Named to the 2014 All-ACC Academic Team.
Rika Park
-Will make her first appearance of the 2014-15 season.
-Missed the 2014 fall campaign due to injury.
-Started in each of Miami’s 10 tournaments a year ago.
RECAPPING LAST YEAR’S FLORIDA CHALLENGE
The No. 33-ranked Miami Hurricanes women’s golf team opened its 2014 spring season with a third-place finish at the six-team Florida Challenge.
Hosted by USF at Black Diamond Ranch, the Hurricanes shot 15-over 591 in the two-round event, finishing nine strokes behind winner UCF (6-over 582). Florida State finished second at 8-over 584. Florida finished fourth at 17-over 593, FIU in fifth at 28-over 603 and host USF in sixth at 55-over 631.
Daniela Darquea and Leticia Ras-Anderica were Miami’s top finishers, as both tied for seventh overall at 3-over 147.
QUOTES FROM COACH
What excites you the most about this Tournament
“Seeing where the players are at right now is the thing that excites me the most about this tournament. We just had our in-house qualifier to see who is playing the best. It’s very hard in golf to pretend it is the real tournament. When it’s the real thing, it all ddkind of clicks, but when it’s not the real thing, it’s hard to fake it. Some of our players are good qualifiers and some of my best players are horrible qualifiers.”
On the lineup
“We feel as if we have a good lineup heading into Monday’s tournament. We really missed not having Rika and Delfina in the fall. Every good player that’s out can affect the team, so we feel like we have a really solid team right now. We just need everyone to stay healthy and if they do I think we have a chance to have a really solid spring.”
On the team’s current state
“We think this is our time. We’ve spent a lot of time building this program. Right now everyone seems healthy, everyone’s strong, everyone is swinging good, so now I think you will see the real quality and ability of this team.”
On the upcoming spring schedule
“I really feel like it is going to be a good spring. It could be a great spring if we get on a roll to where they are at the top of their games. I think getting off to a good start is going to be big for our team’s confidence. If our team gets confident, they have all the ability to play and they could win a lot of tournaments if they get confident.”
How does this team compare to some of the team’s you’ve had in the past
“This is without a doubt the most talented team I’ve ever had. I’ve always had two good players, but all of these girls are very talented and we’re excited about this team’s potential.”
