By LANCE RINGLER and BETH ANN BALDRYALBUQURQUE, N.M. – UC Davis was the only school making its first appearance at the NCAA Championship. Odds were not in favor of the Aggies making an appearance here this week.
The program is only three years old and this season was the first year UC Davis was eligible to take part the postseason.
UC Davis, ranked No. 52, was the last team to get an at-large bid into regional play. Taking full advantage of the opportunity, the Aggies won a three-for-one playoff with two programs that had much more postseason experience – Ohio State and Stanford. By winning the playoff, the Aggies denied Stanford from making its 20th consecutive trip to the finals.
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” UC Davis head coach Kathy DeYoung said. “My thing was if we could just get to regionals and to get here and do as well as we have, this team as just been wonderful.”
What made a berth in the national championship even more special for DeYoung is this is her last event she will be coaching. DeYoung, who coached the UC Davis softball team to 13 postseason berths and the 2003 Div. II national title, made the announcement midway through the spring season she would be retiring at year’s end. California assistant Anne Walker was selected to replace DeYoung May 15.
“We are really happy that we could bring (coach) here,” said freshman Chelsea Stelzmiller.
UC Davis started the week with a 10-over 298 that was good enough for a tie for 13th place. However, the Aggies slipped down the leaderboard in the final three rounds and finished 21st with an 82-over 1,234 total.
“We started off real well. I am glad how we kept bouncing back,” DeYoung said. “They did a great job, never gave up and kept fighting through it. It’s going to be a great experience for the future.”
The future looks good for the Aggies – this week’s lineup consisted of all underclassmen.
“(Ann) will be wonderful,” said DeYoung. “The program is in good shape in its young years here and I think she will just take it up and up and it will be fun to watch.”
As for DeYoung coaching for the final time: “Has not really sunk in yet.”
SHORT SHOTS: Amanda Blumenherst played the final nine holes in 5-under 31 to vault into a tie for fifth. The Duke junior holed out from the fairway for eagle on the par-4 eighth hole to match the day’s low round, 4-under 68. Blumenherst has yet to finish outside the top 10 in her entire college career. This season her worst finish was a tie for fifth. ... Jennie Lee started the final round birdie-birdie-ace. The Duke junior choked down on a hybrid on the par-3 12th. “I hit it a little thin but it worked out OK,” Lee said. ... Georgia’s Garrett Phillips had a 12-foot eagle putt on her last hole (par-5 ninth) to get into a tie for the individual playoff with Tiffany Joh and Azahara Munoz. The Bulldog senior four-putted for bogey to finish two shots back in third.
Posted: 5/23/2008
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