May 6, 2010
The Vanderbilt women’s golf team finished its first day at the NCAA East Regional in Greenville, N.C., with a two-over par, 292, which puts the Commodores in 12th place heading into day two of the tournament. Sophomore Marina Alex led Vanderbilt with an even-par, 72, on Thursday at the Ironwood Country Club.
Alex and her teammates are seven strokes back of the NCAA Championship cut, which is currently shared by Tulane, East Tennessee State, and Texas Tech at three-under par. Auburn leads the tournament with an eight-under par, 280.
“We teed off on the back, and that is the nine holes when you have to make birdies,” said Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen. “We made a few, but we didn’t make enough. We turned our front nine at one-over par, and the teams that are leading were turning it at four or five under. That just wasn’t good enough today.”
Alex’s 72 paced the Commodore effort on Thursday, which put her in a tie for 30th individually. Brooke Goodwin and Lauren Stratton each shot a 73, which ties for 43rd, and Megan Grehan carded a 74 (T-55) to close out Vanderbilt’s counting scores. Anna Leigh Keith shot a 75 in the first round, and ties her for 68th overall.
Nina Muehl of East Tennessee State leads all individuals after firing an eight-under par, 64, on Thursday.
“Today, we needed three or four scores under par, and we didn’t get it,” said Allen. “But, our team knows what it needs to do, and what it takes to get it done the rest of the way. We have another 36 holes to get things straightened out. I feel like that we’ve persevered through a lot of things this season, and that’s what we talked about today after the round. Our word for the year is perseverance.”
