By DAN MIROCHA
Assistant EditorATHENS, Ga. – Benedicte Toumpsin is almost serious when she says she hasn’t slept for three days. The South Carolina sophomore has had more than just the NCAA Women’s East Regional on her mind.
“I’m not an English speaker, so school is kind of difficult for me,” said Toumpsin, a native of Belgium. “I had to catch up a lot because I missed a lot of class.”
After completing her last final exam – a difficult accounting test Tuesday morning before the team left for the University of Georgia – and shedding that weight off her shoulders, Toumpsin shot a 4-under 68 Thursday and is just a shot back after the first round at the East Regional.
“Maybe I slept for one or two hours Sunday, Monday and Tuesday,” Toumpsin said. “But now, I’m not stressed with school and I can only concentrate on golf. I think that’s what made a difference.”
Toumpsin started on the back nine at the University of Georgia Golf Course and made the turn in 3 under. She added two more birdies coming in before a bogey on the par-3 eighth. Toumpsin is tied for second with Duke junior Amanda Blumenherst, but more importantly, the 11th-seeded Gamecocks are in third, just six shots back of leader Duke.
When South Carolina last played this course in March for the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, they finished 13th and Toumpsin opened with an 82 and finished tied for 37th.
“We’ve been working really hard,” coach Kalen Anderson said. “We’ve got a really talented group and they can fight hard.”
Results have been slowly improving this spring. After finishing second-to-last at the Bryan National Collegiate, South Carolina finished fifth at the SEC Championship. Toumpsin finished third and her 216 total was the program’s best at that event since 2002.
Now with final exams behind them, the 32nd-ranked Gamecocks are concentrating fully on moving on to Albuquerque.
“I don’t know that expectations are high,” Anderson said. “But if we stay committed and do our best, we’re going to have a darn good shot at qualifying for the national championship.”
• • •
GATORS BITE BACK: Despite playing without senior Whitney Myers, Florida is in the hunt for the championship. Four Gators finished in the top 20 and the team is five shots back of Duke.
Myers, who tied for seventh at the SEC Championship, did not make the trip to Athens with the Gators. Coach Jill Briles-Hinton, a team official and a player would not discuss why Myers is not with the team.
“We’ve got high expectations,” Briles-Hinton said. “She didn’t meet them so she’s got to stay home and handle her business. Nothing else matters but the team we have here.”
Tiffany Chudy said she knows why Myers is not with the squad, but would not elaborate.
“I have to look at it from my teammate’s perspective and think about how she might feel if people did know what was happening,” Chudy said. “It’s nobody’s else’s business. I consider Whitney my family and we’d like to keep it within the team.”
Nicole Schachner replaced Myers in the lineup and shot 10-over 82.
• • •
WISE BEYOND YEARS: It’s tough being a freshman on a squad full of superstars. But Monday, Duke’s Kimberly Donovan proved why she belongs, shooting the Blue Devils’ second-best score – a 2-under 70 – to finish tied for fifth.
“I’ve been going through a big swing change,” Donovan said. “I’m finally starting to settle down with it. I played well.”
Donovan has played in every event this year for Duke and had her best finish of the year (T-24) at the Liz Murphey in March. However, it was her final round of the ACC Championship that really stood out. Donovan played her final six holes in 2 under helping Duke win the event by a shot.
“Being a freshman had a lot to do with the beginning of her year,” Blumenherst said. “It’s hard to balance school work and all the traveling and the expectations of being at Duke. She’s kind of tough on herself and I can sympathize when you have expectations and you want to play really well. She’s really stuck with it and it’s paying off.”
• • •
SHOT ACROSS THE BOW: Tears and stern words were flowing from Tennessee’s huddle after the Lady Vols finished play Thursday. After a 23-over 311 left them in 18th place, coach Judi Pavon approached her squad with a message.
“I decided to call some people out to see if they can step up,” Pavon said. “If there’s any chance of it getting better, they had to hear some hard stuff.”
It hasn’t been a pretty spring for the 18th-ranked Lady Vols. They finished ninth at the SEC Championship – which was their best showing of the spring – and came into regionals without any confidence or one of their better players. After tying for 40th at SECs, sophomore Angela Oh left the team to turn pro. Oh had told them team in the beginning of the year that she had professional aspirations, but no one expected it to come so soon.
“It’s sort of inexplicable, but sometimes these kids do stuff that you just can’t understand,” Pavon said.
The sixth-seeded Lady Vols are 13 shots out of eighth, held by Wake Forest.
• • •
HOME COMING: All Alexandra Phelps wants is one more opportunity. The New Mexico senior led the Lobos with a 71 and is hoping to lead them to a berth in the NCAA Championship back home in Albuquerque.
“We knew four years ago that (the NCAA Championship) was going to be at our home course,” Phelps said. “We’re trying not to think about the pressure, but definitely it’s there.
The eighth-seeded Lobos are in tenth at 16-over 304.
Scores with relation to par from the first round of the NCAA Women's East Regional, played May 8 at the par-72, 6,335-yard University of Georgia GC in Athens, Ga. (Note: Playing as individual):
TEAMS
| 1. Duke |
285 |
|
|
-3 |
| 2. Florida |
290 |
|
+ |
2 |
| 3. South Carolina |
291 |
|
+ |
3 |
| 4. Furman |
292 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 5. Louisville |
293 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 6. Auburn |
296 |
|
+ |
8 |
| 6. Virginia |
296 |
|
+ |
8 |
| 8. Wake Forest |
298 |
|
+ |
10 |
| 9. Georgia |
299 |
|
+ |
11 |
| 10. New Mexico |
304 |
|
+ |
16 |
| 11. Missouri |
305 |
|
+ |
17 |
| 12. Vanderbilt |
308 |
|
+ |
20 |
| 12. Georgia State |
308 |
|
+ |
20 |
| 14. Indiana |
309 |
|
+ |
21 |
| 14. Charleston Southern |
309 |
|
+ |
21 |
| 16. Tennessee |
311 |
|
+ |
23 |
| 17. UCF |
312 |
|
+ |
24 |
| 17. UNC Wilmington |
312 |
|
+ |
24 |
| 19. East Carolina |
314 |
|
+ |
26 |
| 20. Jacksonville St. |
327 |
|
+ |
39 |
| 21. Jackson State |
338 |
|
+ |
50 |
INDIVIDUALS
|
|
|
|
|
| 1. Sara-Maude Juneau, Louisville |
67 |
|
|
-5 |
| 2. Amanda Blumenherst, Duke |
68 |
|
|
-4 |
| 2. Benedicte Toumpsin, South Carolina |
68 |
|
|
-4 |
| 4. Corrine Carr, Furman |
69 |
|
|
-3 |
| 5. Krystle Caithness, Georgia |
70 |
|
|
-2 |
| 5. Cydney Clanton, Auburn |
70 |
|
|
-2 |
| 5. Kimberly Donovan, Duke |
70 |
|
|
-2 |
| 8. Carmen Perez, UNC Wilmington |
71 |
|
|
-1 |
| 8. Alexandra Phelps, New Mexico |
71 |
|
|
-1 |
| 10. Tiffany Chudy, Florida |
72 |
|
|
E |
| 10. Jaclyn Hilea, Furman |
72 |
|
|
E |
| 10. Ornella Jouven, Florida |
72 |
|
|
E |
| 10. Cindy LaCrosse, Louisville |
72 |
|
|
E |
| 10. Whitney Neuhauser, Virginia |
72 |
|
|
E |
| 10. Jennifer Pandolfi, Duke |
72 |
|
|
E |
| 10. Natalie Sheary, Wake Forest |
72 |
|
|
E |
| 17. y-Emma de Groot, UT Chattanooga |
73 |
|
+ |
1 |
| 17. Joy Kim, Virginia |
73 |
|
+ |
1 |
| 17. Julia Potter, Missouri |
73 |
|
+ |
1 |
| 17. Marci Turner, Tennessee |
73 |
|
+ |
1 |
| 17. Jessica Yadloczky, Florida |
73 |
|
+ |
1 |
| 17. Hannah Yun, Florida |
73 |
|
+ |
1 |
| 23. Taylor Barrett, South Carolina |
74 |
|
+ |
2 |
| 23. Diana Cantu, Tennessee |
74 |
|
+ |
2 |
| 23. Nannette Hill, Wake Forest |
74 |
|
+ |
2 |
| 23. Camila Mori, South Carolina |
74 |
|
+ |
2 |
| 23. Calle Nielson, Virginia |
74 |
|
+ |
2 |
| 23. Candace Schepperle, Auburn |
74 |
|
+ |
2 |
| 23. Jessy Tang, UCF |
74 |
|
+ |
2 |
| 23. Iliska Verwey, Georgia State |
74 |
|
+ |
2 |
| 31. Mallory Hetzel, Georgia |
75 |
|
+ |
3 |
| 31. Olivia Jordan-Higgins, C. Southern |
75 |
|
+ |
3 |
| 31. Stefanie Kenoyer, Furman |
75 |
|
+ |
3 |
| 31. Anna Scott, Georgia State |
75 |
|
+ |
3 |
| 31. Margaret Shirley, Auburn |
75 |
|
+ |
3 |
| 31. Alison Whitaker, Duke |
75 |
|
+ |
3 |
| 31. Bly Worley, South Carolina |
75 |
|
+ |
3 |
| 38. Laura Anderson, Louisville |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. Abby Bools, East Carolina |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. Britney Choy, New Mexico |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. Jean Chua, Wake Forest |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. Laura Crawford, Wake Forest |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. Jodi Ewart, New Mexico |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. Anita Gahir, Indiana |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. Mercedes Huarte, Jacksonville St. |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. y-Paula Hurtado, Fla. International |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. Madison Jeter, Charleston Southern |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. Blair Lamb, Furman |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. Emelie Lind, East Carolina |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. Amber Lundskog, Vanderbilt |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 38. Michelle Morgan, Missouri |
76 |
|
+ |
4 |
| 52. Carolina Andrade, Georgia |
77 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 52. Jennie Arseneault, Virginia |
77 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 52. y-Dori Carter, Mississippi |
77 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 52. Brooke Goodwin, Vanderbilt |
77 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 52. Megan Grehan, Vanderbilt |
77 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 52. Lauren Harling, Indiana |
77 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 52. Elaine Harris, Indiana |
77 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 52. Mariana Macias, Auburn |
77 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 52. Garrett Phillips, Georgia |
77 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 52. Innapha Tantanavivat, Georgia |
77 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 52. Sarah Thead, Auburn |
77 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 52. Mayule Tomimbang, UCF |
77 |
|
+ |
5 |
| 64. Madde Augustsson, Missouri |
78 |
|
+ |
6 |
| 64. Jenny Calkins, Louisville |
78 |
|
+ |
6 |
| 64. Lindsey Haupt, Missouri |
78 |
|
+ |
6 |
| 64. Amanda Henry, Louisville |
78 |
|
+ |
6 |
| 64. Lene Krog, Virginia |
78 |
|
+ |
6 |
| 64. Liebelei Lawrence, Vanderbilt |
78 |
|
+ |
6 |
| 64. Sandra Maier, Georgia State |
78 |
|
+ |
6 |
| 64. Katrin Rumpf, Charleston Southern |
78 |
|
+ |
6 |
| 64. Whitney Simons, South Carolina |
78 |
|
+ |
6 |
| 64. Ashley Tait, UNC Wilmington |
78 |
|
+ |
6 |
| 74. Kellye Belcher, Indiana |
79 |
|
+ |
7 |
| 74. Jennie Lee, Duke |
79 |
|
+ |
7 |
| 74. Stephanie Noser, UNC Wilmington |
79 |
|
+ |
7 |
| 77. Ashley Baker, Furman |
80 |
|
+ |
8 |
| 77. Allie Bodemann, Wake Forest |
80 |
|
+ |
8 |
| 77. Stephanie Connelly, UCF |
80 |
|
+ |
8 |
| 77. Amber Littman, East Carolina |
80 |
|
+ |
8 |
| 77. Rhiannon Loebs, Charleston Southern |
80 |
|
+ |
8 |
| 82. Leigh Crosby, UCF |
81 |
|
+ |
9 |
| 82. Morgan Grantham, New Mexico |
81 |
|
+ |
9 |
| 82. Cathrine Madsen, Georgia State |
81 |
|
+ |
9 |
| 82. Laura Nochta, Indiana |
81 |
|
+ |
9 |
| 82. Chelsea Schriewer, Missouri |
81 |
|
+ |
9 |
| 87. Portia Abbott, Jacksonville St. |
82 |
|
+ |
10 |
| 87. Mikaela Backstedt, New Mexico |
82 |
|
+ |
10 |
| 87. Ginny Brown, Tennessee |
82 |
|
+ |
10 |
| 87. Jacqui Concolino, Vanderbilt |
82 |
|
+ |
10 |
| 87. Katie Detlefsen, UCF |
82 |
|
+ |
10 |
| 87. Ana Maria Puche, East Carolina |
82 |
|
+ |
10 |
| 87. Nicole Schachner, Florida |
82 |
|
+ |
10 |
| 87. Nicole Smith, Tennessee |
82 |
|
+ |
10 |
| 95. Shasta Averyhardt, Jackson State |
83 |
|
+ |
11 |
| 95. Ashley Cox, Jacksonville St. |
83 |
|
+ |
11 |
| 95. Mirielle LaBlanc, Jackson State |
83 |
|
+ |
11 |
| 95. Claire Starkie, Georgia State |
83 |
|
+ |
11 |
| 99. Liana Viljoen, UNC Wilmington |
84 |
|
+ |
12 |
| 100. Colleen Estes, East Carolina |
85 |
|
+ |
13 |
| 100. Emily Klein, UNC Wilmington |
85 |
|
+ |
13 |
| 100. Jennifer Sells, Jackson State |
85 |
|
+ |
13 |
| 100. Rebecca Watson, Tennessee |
85 |
|
+ |
13 |
| 104. Laura Cutler, Jacksonville St. |
86 |
|
+ |
14 |
| 104. Alexandra Espinosa, Jacksonville St. |
86 |
|
+ |
14 |
| 106. Lauren Ragland, Jackson State |
87 |
|
+ |
15 |
| 107. Nikeya Peay, Jackson State |
94 |
|
+ |
22 |
| 108. Kinsey Green, Charleston Southern |
121 |
|
+ |
49 |
Posted: 5/8/2008
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