Commodores Finish Third in Prestigious NCAA Fall Preview
Sarah Jacobs Leads VU with a Second Place Finish

West Lafayette, Ind. – Three days of big finishes made for a memorable start to the season for the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Junior Sarah Jacobs finished in a tie for second and led the Commodores to a third place team finish Tuesday at the season-opening NCAA Fall Preview. In the most competitive tournament of the Fall schedule, Vanderbilt saved its best golf for last. On the way to a 901 total score (290-305-298), the Commodores consistently made shots on the later holes in the rounds.

“Coming down the stretch, we played solid golf and we fought hard,” Head Coach Martha Freitag said. “It is a great way to start the season, but we have mixed emotions. We wanted to win the tournament, but we are happy to finish third.”

Jacobs, from Whites Creek, Tenn., started the final round in a tie for second place and held that position with a final round of 76. She finished four shots behind medalist Miriam Kraschinski of Arizona and tied with Pepperdine’s Katherine Hull.

“Sarah played so solid the whole week,” Freitag said. “Her putter never got super-hot, but she hit the ball well. The last two days she had a lot of putts that wouldn’t go in. But she gave herself a lot of good opportunities.”

Senior Nicki Cutler shot 75 and finished tied for 14th at seven-over. Freshman May Wood (79, 13-over) and junior Courtney Wood (76, 14-over) concluded the scoring. Sophomore Joni Gossett (83, 26-over) rounded out the lineup.

The field for the NCAA Preview consists of the top-ranked teams in the country. Arizona won the team title at 25-over, three shots ahead of second-place Oklahoma State. The Commodores — ranked ninth in Golf World’s preseason poll — were one shot better than perennial power Duke, a team they never previously had defeated.

“We know we can shoot better scores,” Freitag said. “We’re not satisfied because we know we can play better.”

Vanderbilt’s next event is its own tournament, the Mason Rudolph Championship which will be played Monday and Tuesday at Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn.

FINAL TEAM SCORES:
1 Arizona +25 299 298 292 889
2 Oklahoma State +2 288 306 298 892
3 Vanderbilt +37 290 305 306 901
4 Duke +38 297 300 305 902
5 Auburn +40 301 299 304 904
6 Texas +46 293 305 312 910
7 Ohio State +48 298 311 303 912
8 Georgia +49 304 305 304 913
T9 Oklahoma +56 314 306 300 920
T9 Pepperdine +56 307 311 302 920
T9 Southern California +56 308 301 311 920
12 Purdue +58 300 312 310 922
13 Florida +63 300 312 315 927
14 Wake Forest +65 312 313 304 929
15 South Carolina +67 312 318 301 931
16 Michigan State +72 306 317 313 936
17 Tulsa +75 315 309 315 939
18 Arizona State +88 322 315 315 952

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Day 2

WOMEN MAINTAIN SECOND PLACE LEAD AT NCAA FALL PREVIEW Sarah Jacobs is one behind the current leader for second place

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West Lafayette, Ind. - The Vanderbilt women's golf team maintained its second place at the NCAA Fall Preview after shooting a 305 today following an almost two-hour fog delay. The Commodores are only one shot behind leader Oklahoma State who shot a 306 today for a total of 595 (+18). VU totals a two-round mark 595 for a +19. Arizona (299-298) and Duke (297-300) are tied in third place with a 597, followed by Texas in fifth place with a 599 (294-305).

"The fog delay was hard," Vanderbilt Head Coach Martha Freitag said. "It takes you out of your rhythm and it takes a while to get it back."

"It took us an hour-and-a-half to play the first four holes," Freitag added. "We played better after the sixth and seven holes because we finally found a rhythm.

Sarah Jacobs continued her consistent play shooting a 73 today for a 143 (+1), one behind the individual leader Celeste Troche of Auburn who totals 142 (70-72) for an even par.

"Sarah played so solid," Freitag said. "She had three other putts than were left hanging on the lip of the cup."

Nicki Cutler shot a 77 today to total 148 for a tie in eighth place (+5).

The Commodores came on strong on the last eight holes with freshman May Wood going one-under par on the last 12 holes. She is currently tied for 19th with a 150 (73-77).

Courtney Wood is currently in a tie for 39th with a total of 154 (76-78), while Joni Gossett totals a 159 (78-81) for a tie in 66th place.

"We really finished well," Freitag added. "Some teams faded at the end, but we finished well and that made a big difference. I give us an A for the last eight holes today."

The Commodores conclude action tomorrow with an 8 a.m

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Day 1

Commodores in Second Place After Day One of NCAA Fall Preview, 9/15/02
Sarah Jacobs Tied for Second Place

COMPLETE RESULTS FROM DAY ONE

West Lafayette, Ind. - The Commodores are in second place after shooting a two-over-par 290 in first round action of the 2002 NCAA Fall Preview. Vanderbilt is just two shots behind team leader Oklahoma State who shot an even par 288.

"We had a really good start today," Head Coach Martha Freitag said. "What's really encouraging is that we didn't play as well as we are capable of. We were very solid from the start to the finish - I saw a lot of good shots today."

The Commodores were led by junior Sarah Jacobs (pictured) who shot a two-under 70 and is in a three-way tie for second place - two shots behind the leader (Karin Sjodin of Oklahoma State, 68).

"Sarah played really steady," Freitag said. "She hit a lot of fairways and greens and when you do that, you give yourself the opportunity to make birdies."

Senior Nicki Cutler is in a three-way tie for fifth place with a 71 (-1), followed by freshman May Wood (T14th, 73), junior Courtney Wood (T37th, 76) and sophomore Joni Gossett (T54th, 78).

"This golf course is very challenging and it's really long - it is just inevitible to get crazy bounces, but everyone seemed very patient today," Freitag added.

The Commodores continue second round action tomorrow with the first Commodore player teeing off at 9:30 am (Gossett). The final round is schedule for Tuesday (Sept. 17).

The Commodores’ round of 290 is the fourth best ever single score as a team. The record is 280 set last season at the Stanford-Pepsi Women's Intercollegiate.

TEAM LEADERS AFTER ROUND ONE:
1 Oklahoma State E 288
2 Vanderbilt +2 290
3 Texas +5 293
4 Duke +9 297
5 Ohio State +10 298
6 Arizona +11 299
T7 Florida +12 300
T7 Purdue +12 300
9 Auburn +13 301
10 Georgia +16 304
11 Michigan State +18 306
12 Pepperdine +19 307
13 Southern California +20 308
T14 South Carolina +24 312
T14 Wake Forest +24 312
16 Oklahoma +26 314
17 Tulsa +27 315
18 Arizona State +34 322