TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Arizona women's golf team completed play in the NCAA Championship at the Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore on Monday. After the fourth round, the Wildcats tied for ninth place at fifteen over par, carding a team score of 294 (+6) on Sunday. The Cats were one stroke out of a tie for eighth place, which would have meant a sudden-death playoff for the eighth seed in the match-play competition.
Freshman Haley Moore was in front for the fourth round, notching her second 68 (-4) of the tournament. She had seven birdies in Monday's competition. Her round scores were a 68, 70, and 74 in the first three rounds. She finished in a tie for second place.
“Playing this awesome course,” said Moore. “It was fitting my playstyle. Fast greens, good conditions on the course. I was pretty happy with all of my rounds, I stayed pretty consistent. This will be an experience I will never forget.”
Sophomore Krystal Quihuis posted a one-over 73 Monday and earned a share of the tie for 53rd. Senior Lindsey Weaver carded a 76 (+4). She managed rounds of 74 (+2) in the first two rounds, and a 71 (-1) in the third, leading her to share 53rd place as well. Junior Jessica Vasilic finished with a 77 (+5) in the fourth round. Combined with her prior rounds of 76, 74, and 73, this gives her a share of 66th place at twelve over. Freshman Gigi Stoll finished with an 78 (+6) on Monday. Her prior round scores were 82, 71, and 82, giving her 82nd place.
“I am really proud of the team this year,” said head coach Laura Ianello. “They fought hard, especially today, with nine holes left being four or five strokes back of that cutline. The ladies showed a lot of heart out there, and the ladies did their very best. That's all we could have asked from them. Next year, we have a lot of returners. We will be losing Lindsey Weaver but we have got some good recruits coming. Next year we look to get better and better, just like we always do. This is disappointing, but overall in the grand scheme of things. It has been a fantastic year, we have a great group of young women, and I couldn't be more proud of my assistant coach, Derek, and the ladies. I felt like we represented the University of Arizona really well this week.”
Moore's tournament finish at eight-under par and a tie for second is her best finish all year. Furthermore, the last time an Arizona player finished that highly was with Lorena Ochoa at the 2002 NCAA Championship. The last freshman to finish that well was Ochoa at the same tournament in 2001.
Weaver's performance with the Wildcats will be remembered for years to come. Over the course of her college career, she had 16 finishes in the top-10 and 20 in the top-20. She had 44 rounds of below-par, her lowest coming at 67 in her 2013 season, tying the third-lowest round ever by an Arizona player. Weaver notched over 100 rounds of golf with the Wildcats, and finished with a stroke average of 72.71.
The team's future looks bright, with Weaver as the only graduating senior. Juniors Wanasa Zhou and Vasilic will move up next year, accompanied by sophomore Quihuis and freshman Moore and Stoll. The Cats have a stellar roster that should propel them back into the NCAA competition next season.
That wraps-up the season for the Wildcats women's golf team. For more information and updates about the University of Arizona women's golf team, follow @UAWomensGolf on Twitter, uawomensgolf on Instagram and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ArizonaWomensGolf.
