After a long year that began back in September for the women’s golf team, the season has finally reached its apex.
The No. 28 Ducks begin competition at the NCAA Championships today and look to finally make their mark at a national level.
To even earn a spot in the NCAA Championships is quite an accomplishment, given that only 24 teams throughout the country qualified. Oregon’s spot was solidified a week and a half ago after a tie for sixth in the NCAA Central Regional.
Joining the Ducks in the tournament will be five other Pacific-10 Conference schools: No. 1 UCLA, No. 4 USC, No. 5 Arizona State, No. 6 Arizona and No. 11 Stanford. As the only Pac-10 school not ranked within the top 25, Oregon will clearly have its work cut out for itself.
Yet seedings have never held the Ducks back. Oregon placed ahead of all but two schools (Arizona and UCLA) in the Pac-10 Championships last month, and the sixth-place finish at the regional was five seeds ahead of the team’s pre-tournament seeding (11th).
Of course, the Pac-10 is not the only conference Oregon will have to deal with. Talented teams from all over the country will gather at Landfall Country Club in Wilmington, N.C., the selected site for the NCAA Championships.
No. 2 Duke is battled tested after contending with the nation’s top ranked schedule, while No. 3 Auburn comes in with a 21-3 record against the top 25 and the No. 3 player in the nation (junior Cydney Clanton).
No. 40 Kendra Little, meanwhile, will play the leading role for the Ducks. It is a position she has become comfortable with as her junior season nears its close, and she has stepped her game up at a perfect time.
Little tied for third overall at the Pac-10 Championships, shooting a 219 (two-over par) for the tournament. She followed that performance with an eighth place tie at the NCAA Regional.
Freshman Cheyenne Hickle is also peaking as the season comes to a close, coming off of an impressive 12th place tie at the Regional. That performance elevated Hickle to No. 241 in the national rankings.
The Pac-10 dominated the NCAA Championships last year, as each of the top three finishers hailed from the conference. No. 1 Arizona State backed up its ranking to finish first overall, while No. 2 UCLA followed in second and No. 4 USC took third.
Then-freshman Jennifer Song of USC also finished in second individually.
Oregon was not present at the NCAA Championships last year. In fact, the Ducks haven’t been since 2000, when they finished 11th overall. First-year head coach Ria Quiazon looks to better that performance, and the opportunity appears ripe to do just that.
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