Women's Golf Debuts at Golfweek Event
9/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
MALIBU, Calif. - Less than four months after finishing ninth at last season's NCAA Championships, the Pepperdine women's golf team returns to the links for its first tournament of the fall season. The Golfweek Conference Challenge will be held Sunday through Tuesday (Sept. 13-15) in Primm, Nev.
The event, held at the Primm Valley Desert Resorts Valley Course, features one team from 18 different conferences. In addition to Pepperdine, the other competitors are Ball State, California, Chattanooga, Coastal Carolina, Drake, East Tennessee State, Fresno State, Georgia State, Harvard, Jacksonville State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts, Portland State, SMU, UC Irvine and UNLV. Live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com.
Based on preseason rankings, the Waves will be one of the favorites at the event, as Pepperdine is #12 in Golfweek and #13 in the Golf World/NGCA poll. Only Oklahoma State, which is #4 in the Golf World/NGCA poll, has a higher ranking. Eleven of the 18 teams played in the postseason last spring, and four are ranked in Golfweek's preseason top 30.
Four players return from the NCAA Championships lineup that claimed Pepperdine's eighth top 10 finish in the last 11 years: junior Taylore Karle and sophomores Kaitlin Drolson, Lisa McCloskey and Jessica Wallace. Jayvie Agojo graduated, so a veteran in junior Martine de Gannes will step into the lineup in her place.
After the Golfweek Conference Challenge, the Waves waste no time before their second tournament when they take part in the Dick McGuire Invitational, hosted by New Mexico, on Sept. 19-20.
"We've had almost two weeks of really good practice," said Pepperdine Coach Laurie Gibbs, who begins her 17th season as the Waves' head coach. "Everybody looks really good coming off a summer where they played very well. I feel really good going into these two tournaments. With our experience and how we've been playing lately, everybody is ready to go and I feel that we can do really well."
McCloskey (Montgomery, Texas/Montgomery HS) finished in 10th place at the NCAA Championships and was named to the NGCA All-American honorable mention team, as well as the West Coast Conference's Freshman of the Year and an All-WCC first teamer. She was second on the team with a 74.79 stroke average. Her biggest claim to fame as a freshman was firing an NCAA-record 17-under 199 in winning the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown.
Karle (Scottsdale, Ariz./Laurel Springs Academy), a two-time All-WCC first teamer who earned All-American second team honors as a freshman, led the squad last season with a 74.18 stroke average. She has won two career tournaments and ranks third all-time at Pepperdine with a 73.79 stroke average.
Karle and McCloskey were mentioned in Golf World's top 50 players to watch across the nation.
Drolson (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) and Wallace (Langley, B.C., Canada/Walnut Grove Secondary) both had fine freshman seasons that led to All-WCC first team honors, and they averaged 75.30 and 75.64 strokes, respectively. De Gannes (Diego Martin, Trinidad/Maple Leaf International School) was in the lineup during the spring season of her freshman year, earning All-WCC honorable mention honors, and now has another chance to make her mark.
2009-10 ROSTER - The Waves enter the fall with five players on the roster, all of whom return from last season's team, including four of the five that competed at the NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships events. There are two juniors and three sophomores.
LAURIE GIBBS - Recognized by her peers as one of the top collegiate women's golf coaches in the country, Laurie Gibbs is in her 17th season as head coach of the Pepperdine women's golf team. Under Gibbs, the Waves have appeared in the NCAA Championships nine times, with eight top 10 finishes and four top five showings, including a program-best second-place result in 2003. Her players have earned All-American honors 18 times. Gibbs has led Pepperdine to West Coast Conference championships in 11 of the last 12 years, including a current streak of eight titles that began in 2002. Gibbs has been honored nine times as the WCC's Coach of the Year, was tabbed the West Region Coach of the Year on two occasions and was selected the 2004-05 National Coach of the Year by Golfweek magazine.
2008-09 RECAP - An outstanding postseason run saw the Waves win their eighth consecutive WCC title, make an incredible rally to place eighth at the NCAA West Regional and claim the final qualifying spot for the NCAA Championships, and then finish in ninth place at nationals. All five players in the lineup earned All-WCC first team honors, and Lisa McCloskey was also NGCA All-American honorable mention and the WCC freshman of the Year. The Waves won three tournaments, including an NCAA-record-setting 41-under 823 at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown in October 2008.
PEPPERDINE GOLF HISTORY - The last decade-plus has established Pepperdine as one of the nation's top golf programs. The Waves have appeared in the NCAA Championships nine times, with eight top 10 finishes and four top five showings, including a program-best second-place result in 2003. The Waves have won West Coast Conference championships in 11 of the last 12 years, including a current streak of eight titles that began in 2002.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE - Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men's sports - one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine's teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.
