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Bears Set For Las Vegas NCAA Regional

by calbears.com
May 4, 2024

LAS VEGAS – Following a regular season where it earned five top-five finishes – its most since 2016-17 – the No. 28 California women's golf team is set to take the No. 5 seed into the Las Vegas NCAA Regional this Monday through Wednesday This will be the 23rd regional in program history for the Golden Bears, who will be one of 12 teams competing at the par-72, 6,665-yard course at Spanish Trail Country Club. 

Since the fall, when it won three straight events for the first time in program history, Cal has been enjoying one of its best seasons in recent memory. In their most recent outing, the Bears finished in ninth place at last month's Pac-12 Championship.

TOURNAMENT INFO

  • Dates: May 6-8
  • 54 holes (18-18-18, Monday-Wednesday)
  • First Tee Times: 8:00 a.m. PT
  • Location: Las Vegas, Nev. | Spanish Trail Country Club
  • Course Info: Par 72 | 6,665/6,615 Yards
  • Host: UNLV
  • Live Scoring: Golfstat

THE FIELD (12)
No. 28 California, No. 4 UCLA, No. 9 Arkansas, No. 16 Arizona, No. 19 Florida State, Purdue, Baylor, Oklahoma, Colorado State, Kent State, Xavier, Dartmouth

THE BEARS
1. Adora Liu (72.5)
2. Constance Fouillet (72.6)
3. Olivia Lee (74.1)
4. Rina Tatematsu (73.6)
5. Cristina Ochoa (73.6)
6. Anna Molloy (76.1) - substitute

Cal's lineup will feature its five lowest scorers for the fourth straight tournament. Sophomore Adora Liu owns the team's lowest scoring average (72.5) and leads the team with four top-10 finishes. Constance Fouillet trails Liu closely at 72.6 strokes per round, which currently stands as the program's all-time freshman record. Fouillet owns team highs of 17 par or better rounds and five top-20 finishes.

A lineup mainstay for the past few years, Cristina Ochoa (73.6) has been one of the team's most consistent golfers this season, shooting par or better in 10 of her final 14 rounds of the regular season. Fellow senior and Oklahoma State transfer Rina Tatematsu (73.6) and sophomore Olivia Lee (74.1) round out the Bears' starting cohort.

Lee led the Bears at the Pac-12 Championship, carding a 1-under-par 215 to finish in 16th place. Sophomore Anna Molloy (76.1) will be the Bears' substitute option.

WHAT A YEAR
Not including their Big Match win over Stanford, the Bears have finished top five in five of their last nine tournaments. They started the year with a bang, recording four program records in their second competition of the year at the Molly Invitational. Led by Fouillet – whose opening-round 6-under-par tied the Bears all-time record – Cal set new team records through 18 holes (-17), 36 holes (-19) and 54 holes (-28).

The Molly kickstarted the program's first-ever run of three consecutive wins, as the Bears teamed up with the Cal men's golf team to defeat Stanford 4-3 at the Big Match and overcame a 13-stroke deficit over the final 18 holes to win the Ron Moore Intercollegiate, capping their best two-week stretch ever.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
The top five teams and the low individual not on those teams will move on to compete at the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad on May 17-22. 

NCAA REGIONAL HISTORY
The Bears have earned top-five NCAA Regional finishes eight times since 2000, most recently tying for fifth at the Albuquerque Regional in 2017. That year, they went on to tie for 14th at the NCAA Championship.

Cal had its best-ever regional run from 2002-06, when it placed in the top three for five straight years. The Bears earned a first-place finish at the NCAA Central Regional in 2003 and placed top-five at the NCAA Championship from 2004-06.

NANCY MCDANIEL ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
On April 18, Nancy McDaniel announced that this will be her final season with the team. She has served as the team's founding head coach for 29 since the program's first year in 1995-96, totaling 29 seasons at the helm.

A two-time Pac-10 and West Regional Coach of the Year, McDaniel led the Bears to two Pac 10 championships, as high as a No. 2 national ranking, three straight top-five showings at the NCAA Championships and 20 consecutive NCAA Regionals.

STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal women's golf, follow the Bears on Twitter and Instagram (@CalWGolf).

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