May 21, 2011

Complete Results

BRYAN, Texas - Senior Chelsea Stelzmiller closed her standout Aggie career with a 1-under 71, sophomore Amy Simanton tied for 15th, and the 14th-ranked UC Davis women's golf team rallied to finish 20th at the NCAA Division I Golf Championships at Traditions Golf Club.

The Aggies were tied for 23rd entering the day but fired a 6-over 294 - its best round of the tournament - to climb the leaderboard and finish at 67-over1,219. UC Davis tied for the sixth-best score of the day.

Second-ranked UCLA held off a final-day charge from defending champion Purdue and won the 2011 NCAA Championship by four strokes over the Boilermakers. Austin Ernst of LSU finished 7 under to earn medalist honors by three shots over Kelli Shean of Arkansas.

Stelzmiller's 71 was her lowest score of the week, bettering the 78 she had in Thursday's second round. Simanton added a 1-over 73, sophomore Demi Runas and senior Alice Kim each had 75's, and freshman Jessica Chulya carded an 83.

Simanton earned a top-20 placing in her first appearance at the national championship while Runas tied for 74th, Kim tied for 88th and Stelzmiller tied for 95th. Chulya tied for 121st..

The Aggies' 294 was 11 shots better than its second-round score and 13 better than its team score on Friday.

"I am so proud of the way the Aggies finished today," said third-year head coach Anne Walker. "It shows how passionate and driven this team is and has been all year long. We are happy to finish 20th and hope to learn from this experience."

UC Davis, in just its fourth year at the Division I level, enjoyed another impressive season. The Aggies won two tournaments including their second straight Big West Championship, and vaulted into Golfstat's top 20 rankings for the first time. They entered the national finals ranked a program-best 14th after tying for third at the NCAA West Regional two weeks ago.

They displayed Saturday why they are among the nation's elite programs, taming the 6,260-yard course at Traditions Golf Club. Stelzmiller led the way in the final round, carding three birdies on both the front and back nine, including three straight over the course's first through third holes. She was as low as 4 under during her round, finishing at 23-over 311 for the championship.

Simanton, who posted 71 on Friday, had her second 73 this week. Starting on the 10th hole, Simanton highlighted her round with four birdies in a five-hole span including three straight on the 16th through 18th holes. She had eight pars on her back nine, finishing the tournament just five shots over par.

"This was an incredible week for Amy," said Walker. "She has improved dramatically since last year and with continued commitment and hard work, she has a very bright future."

Runas, the Big West Player of the Year, had two birdies on Saturday, playing her final nine holes just one shot over par. Kim matched Runas' 75, also covering the back nine just 1 over while carding three birdies on the day.

Chulya was 8 over after nine holes but rallied the remainder of the way to post a birdie on the par-3 second hole and finish the back nine just 3 over.

The week brought to an end the dominant careers of seniors Stelzmiller and Kim who have helped lead UC Davis to the top tier of Division I. The pair each earned four All-Big West first-team honors in their careers, were each named Big West Player of the Year, and each won medalist honors at the Big West Championship.

Kim played in three national finals including 2009 when she advanced as an individual and went on to earn All-America honorable mention accolades. Both she and Stelzmiller also played on golf's biggest stage when they qualified for the 2009 U.S. Women's Open.

UC Davis has been represented in the NCAA postseason all four years of its Division I existence.

NCAA WOMEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Bryan, Texas (hosted by Texas A&M)
Traditions Golf Club
Par 72, 6,260 yards
Final

TEAMS
1. UCLA, 289-295-294-295-1173
2. Purdue, 292-295-298-292-1177
3. LSU, 292-296-303-290-1181
4. Virginia, 291-300-299-296-1186
T5. USC, 302-302-292-294-1190
T5. Arkansas, 305-296-296-293-1190
7. Texas A&M, 295-294-302-300-1191
T8. North Carolina, 305-293-297-298-1193
T8. Alabama, 301-303-297-292-1193
T10. Vanderbilt, 297-294-304-301-1196
T10. Florida, 294-298-309-295-1196
12. Cal, 306-292-305294-1197
13. Tennessee, 299-299-306-296-1200
14. Wake Forest, 298-307-301-296-1202
15. Arizona, 304-295-305-301-1205
16. Washington, 312-307-297-293-1209
17. Arizona State, 296-303-308-303-1210
18. South Carolina, 302-315-298-296-1211
19. Minnesota, 305-294-307-307-1213
20. UC DAVIS, 313-305-307-294-1219
21. Ohio State, 303-315-298-305-1221
22. Notre Dame, 308-310-310-299-1224
23. Stanford, 308-305-303-309-1225
22. Coastal Carolina, 322-302-298-310-1232

INDIVIDUAL
1. Austin Ernst, LSU, 72-66-77-66-281

UC DAVIS
T15. Amy Simanton, 73-76-71-73-293
T74. Demi Runas, 78-74-80-75-307
T88. Alice Kim, 79-79-77-75-310
T95. Chelsea Stelzmiller, 83-78-79-71-311
T121. Jessica Chulya, 84-77-83-83-327