SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The No. 26 Virginia women’s golf team will be among the first teams on the course when the NCAA Championships get underway Friday (May 19) at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Cavaliers will tee off at 6:32 a.m. MST along with Arizona and Oklahoma State. UVA qualified for the NCAAs following a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Westfield (Ind.) Regional.
Virginia is one of 30 teams competing for the national championships and the stroke play champion. The field was expanded by six teams starting this year.
After three days (May 19-21) of stroke play, the field is reduced to 15 teams and the top nine individuals not on one of those teams for the fourth round (May 22) that will decide the individual champion. The top eight teams from stroke play advance to two days (May 23-24) of match play competition to determine the NCAA Champion.
During the second round, UVA, Arizona and Oklahoma State will start at 11:52 a.m. MST from the 10th tee. The third round is repaired based on the team standings. It starts at 6:10 a.m. MT while Monday’s final round of stroke play starts at 10 a.m.
Virginia is joined by ACC schools Duke, Clemson, NC State, Wake Forest, Florida State at the event. The six ACC schools at the event is the most ever for the conference.
The Virginia Lineup
Name Year Hometown Stroke Avg.
Amanda Sambach So. Pinehurst, N.C. 71.08
Celeste Valinho Sr. Jacksonville, Fla. 73.04
Jennifer Cleary Jr. Wilmington, Del. 73.40
Megan Propeck So. Leawood, Kan. 73.88
Rebecca Skoler Jr. Needham, Mass. 74.93
Riley Smyth Grad. Cary, N.C. 75.05
Note: Five individuals compete in each round with teams having the opportunity to substitute in a sixth player.
In the Rankings Golfstat Golfweek
Virginia 26th 22nd
Amanda Sambach 29th 9th
Celeste Valinho 126th 134th
Jennifer Cleary 133rd 135th
NCAA Experience
UVA’s roster includes five players with previous experience at the NCAA Championships. Amanda Sambach, Jennifer Cleary, Rebecca Skoler and Celeste Valinho all made their NCAA debuts at Grayhawk last year. Sambach and Cleary played all four rounds. Sambach was 31st at 296 while Cleary was 70th at 308. Skoler played in the final two…
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