Arizona State Women’s Golf No. 1 Arizona State at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge Feb. 8-10, Palos Verdes G.C. - Palos Verdes, Calif. 2010 Sun Devil Schedule/Results Top Ranked Women’s Golf Opens Spring in Palos Verdes 9/8-10 TOPY CUP 1st, 6-under 858 The Sun Devils are the defending Northrop Grumman Champions. 9/25-27 Mason Rudolph 4th, 11-under 565 10/16-18 Stanford Intercollegiate 1st, 12-under 840 10/23-25 Landfall Tradition 4th, 25-over 889 2/8-10 Northrop Grumman All Day 2/15 Duel in the Desert All Day 2/22-23 Wildcat Invitational All Day 3/1-3 UCLA/Pepperdine All Day 4/9-11 PING/ASU Invite All Day 4/19-21 Pac-10 Championships All Day 5/6-8 NCAA Regionals All Day 5/18-21 NCAA Championships All Day 2010 Sun Devils . Tournament Wins: 2 Top 5 Finishes: 4 Tournament Medalists: 1 Head Coach Melissa Luellen -- Melissa Luellen, the 2009 SkyCaddie NGCA Coach of the Year returns for her eighth season as Arizona State’s head women’s golf coach. Last season, Luellen led the Sun Devils to their This Week -- seventh NCAA Championship. She is The Arizona State women’s golf team will tee off the spring season at the Northrop Grumman a three-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year Regional Challenge. The tournament will be held at the par 71, 5,912-yard Palos Verdes and a four-time Regional Coach of the Golf Club in Palos Verdes, Calif., and will take place February 8-10. The Sun Devils won Year. Under Luellen, the Sun Devils have last year’s rain-drenched Northrop Grumman thanks in large part to Juliana Murcia’s stel- garnered 19 tournament titles. lar performance. Murcia became ASU’s first Northrop Grumman individual champion after carding a 1-over 214 (70-71-73). Luellen Accomplishments at ASU: · NCAA Team Championship in 2009 Line-Up · Two Pac-10 Titles · NCAA Individual Champion in 2008 1. Carlota Ciganda (Azahara Munoz) 2. Juliana Murcia · 19 Tournament Team Titles · Eight Golfers named to a total of 12 3. Jennifer Johnson All-American teams 4. Jaclyn Sweeney · Two Pac-10 Golfers of the Year · Two NGCA Freshmen of the Year 5. Giulia Molinaro · 13 Individual Tournament Medalists About the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge -- Media Information -- Ohio State is set to host the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge. The Sun Devils have won the tournament twice in the past five years. In addition to ASU, No. 2 UCLA, No. 5 Media in need of information regarding Duke, No. 6 Michigan State, No. 7 USC, No. 12 Wake Forest, No. 13 Pepperdine, No. 15 ASU women’s golf, or those wishing to California, No. 16 Florida, No. 19 Denver, No. 20 Louisville, No. 33 Ohio State, No. 34 UC schedule an interview, should contact Irvine, Colorado and TCU will also be competing. Live scoring will be available on www. Jennifer Jaeckels, assistant sports in- golfstat.com. formation director and women’s golf contact Twice as Nice -- Office: (480) 965-9544 The top-ranked ASU women’s team already have two tournament wins under their belt. Last Cell: (480) 584-9591 week, the Sun Devils finished on top at the Stanford Intercollegiate. This is the third straight Fax: (480) 965-5408 time ASU has won on the Stanford Golf Course. Despite the stacked field, the Sun Devils E-Mail: [email protected] came away with a four-stroke win as four of their players placed in the top 10. Previously, Website: www.thesundevils.com the Sun Devils took first at the TOPY Cup with a 26-stroke lead over second-place Wake Forest. Three ASU golfers went 1-2-3 as Jaclyn Sweeney claimed medalist honors with Address: 400 E. Veterans Way Juliana Murcia finishing runner-up and Carlota Ciganda tying for third. Carson Student-Athlete Center Rm. 131 Tempe, AZ 85287-2505 -- page one -- www.thesundevils.com Arizona State Women’s Golf NCAA Team Championships Defending NCAA Champions -- 1990 Linda Vollstedt The Sun Devils claimed their first NCAA Championship since 1998, and seventh 1993 Linda Vollstedt overall, last season at the Caves Valley Golf Course in Owings Mills, Md. The 1994 Linda Vollstedt Sun Devils came back from an 11-stroke deficit after the second round to win by 1995 Linda Vollstedt eight shots. ASU also won NCAA team titles in 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1997 Linda Vollstedt 1998. 1998 Linda Vollstedt 2009 Melissa Luellen Krafty Freshman -- For the second year in a row, Jennifer Johnson has earned an amateur exemption NCAA Individual Championships for the Kraft Nabisco Championship. A native of nearby La Quinta, Calif., Johnson 2008 Azahara Munoz was one of five amateurs invited to play in the LPGA major. Last season, ASU’s 1999 Grace Park newest member of the LPGA Azahara Munoz, also accepted an invitation to play 1995 Kristel Mourgue d’Algue 1994: Emilee Klein at the tour’s first major of the season. In 2004, former Sun Devil star Grace Park 1985: Danielle Ammaccapane won the major. 1970: Cathy Gaughan 1969: Jane Bastanchury-Booth 1962: Carol Sorenson ASU Star in The Making -- 1960: Joanne Gunderson-Carner Speaking of Johnson has yet to experience any freshman jitters as she has placed in the top 10 at each of her tournaments this season. After a seventh place finish 2009-10 Tournament Wins in her Sun Devil debut at the Mason Rudolph, Johnson went on to tie for sixth at Tournament .................................................... Strokes Ahead of Second the Stanford Intercollegiate. At the conclusion of the fall season, Johnson placed TOPY Cup .................................................................................................26 10th at the Landfall Tradition. Stanford Intercollegiate .............................................................................4 Steady Senior -- Medalists on Current Roster Senior Juliana Murcia has had a strong start to her final season as a Sun Devil. The Carlota Ciganda -- (2) returning second-team All-American has finished in the top-20 in each tournament NCAA West Regional ..........................................................................2009 this season. After starting the 2009-10 campaign with a runner-up placing at the Pac-10 Championships ........................................................................2009 TOPY Cup, Murcia tied for 15th at the Mason Rudolph Championship. She followed Juliana Murcia -- (1) that performance up with a third-place finish at the Stanford Intercollegiate. Over Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge .........................................2009 winter break, she tied for first at the Copa de las Americas in Argentina. A two-time Jaclyn Sweeney -- (2) Big 12 Championships .........................................................................2008 NGCA All-American Scholar, Murcia is set to graduate in May. TOPY Cup .............................................................................................2009 Top 20 Performances This Season Returning All-Americans -- Carlota Ciganda (3): The Sun Devils return three All-Americans to their 2009-10 squad. Carlota Ciganda’s Stanford Intercollegiate ........................................................................ 2nd outstanding freshman season was recognized as she received First-Team All- TOPY Cup .............................................................................................T3rd American honors. Senior Juliana Murcia took home Second-Team honors at the NCAA Fall Preview/Landfall Tradition ...........................................T7th end of last season. Jaclyn Sweeney had earned All-American honors in 2008 from Jennifer Johnson (3): Golfweek while playing for Oklahoma State. Stanford Intercollegiate .......................................................................T6th Mason Rudolph ....................................................................................T7th ASU Athletes of the Week -- NCAA Fall Preview/Landfall Tradition .........................................T10th Already this season, the ASU women’s golf team has had two of their athletes named Giulia Molinaro (1): ASU Athlete of the Week. Jaclyn Sweeney accepted honors after the TOPY Cup TOPY Cup .............................................................................................T8th while Carlota Ciganda earned the title this week after her runner-up performance at the Stanford Intercollegiate. Juliana Murcia (3): TOPY Cup .............................................................................................. 2nd Stanford Intercollegiate ......................................................................... 3rd What Sophomore Slump? -- Mason Rudolph ..................................................................................T15th Returning All-American Carlota Ciganda has picked up right where she left off. The sophomore has already notched two top five finishes this season. Ciganda Jaclyn Sweeney (2): TOPY Cup ................................................................................................1st turned in a runner-up performance at the Stanford Intercollegiate. Additionally, she Stanford Intercollegiate .......................................................................T6th finished tied for third at the TOPY Cup and was the Sun Devil’s highest finisher at the Landfall Tradition/NCAA Fall Preview. A Team of Youngins -- Despite the team’s preseason No. 1 ranking and returning three starters from last season, the Sun Devils 2009-10 squad will be full of youth and inexperience as a Sun Devil. With Ciganda, Giulia Molinaro and Jaclyn Sweeney coming in last spring, ASU Pronunciation Guide -- Larissa Eruera - Air-Ru-Air-Ah Juliana Murcia --- WHO lee ahna Giulia Molinaro -- Julia Carlota