Tuesday, May 12, 1998
Bruins fall short of finals but finish in 14th-place
WOMEN’S GOLF: Unranked UW bumps down surprised UCLA at West
Regionals
By David Arnold
Daily Bruin Contributor
The season came to a close for the women’s golf team on
Saturday, but things are far from over for the Bruins.
While the ’97-98 squad finished 14th at the NCAA West Regionals,
the future promises better things for UCLA, whose freshmen
represent an optimistic outlook for next season and beyond.
This year, the Bruins fell short of the cut-off for advancing to
the NCAA Finals in a disappointing 14th-place finish at the
Stanford Golf Course in Palo Alto. Shooting consistently good
scores of 303 in the first two rounds, the Bruins were still in the
running on the final day before dropping a score of 313, seven
strokes off 11th-place and final qualifier, Oregon.
Unfortunately, part of the Bruins’ drop in the third round was
out of their hands – or in their hands, depending on your
perspective. That’s because freshman Laura Moffat needed four
stitches in her finger the night before the last day of
competition.
"The last day was tough, it was windy and cold," said head coach
Jackie Steinman, far from making excuses for her team.
But UCLA’s absence from the finals won’t be the only surprise
due to unranked Washington’s appearance.
"I was definitely surprised that (Washington) made it," said
Steinman, "I expected to be there, but we still did well."
Yet Steinman recognizes the significance of the tournament: "It
doesn’t matter what you do during the season, it’s the regionals
that count."
Individually, UCLA’s Amandine Vincent, the lone senior for the
Bruins, led the team once again, finishing four over for the
tournament in a tie for 19th.
"(Vincent) was disappointed," said Steinman."She was only one
stroke away from qualifying as an individual."
Other Bruins finished tied for 30th (Moffat), 57th (freshman
Leilani Bagby), 77th (freshman Alexandra Gasser) and 84th (freshman
Alicia Um).
"Alicia didn’t play her usual good game, but she’s a freshman
and it’s the experience that counts," concluded Steinman.
"They are winners in that sense, because it was a successful
year, considering what we had."