April 14, 2009
VALLEJO, Calif. - Sophomore Miki Ueoka finished tied for second overall as the Santa Clara women's golf team captured third place at the 2009 West Coast Conference Championships at Hiddenbrooke Golf Course in Vallejo, Calif. Ueoka is the highest Bronco finisher at the WCC Championships in program history. Prior to that, Katherine Gerrish and Pia Bjornsson finished tied for 5th place in 1997 and 1999, respectively.
Pepperdine won the team championship title with a score of 905 (+41). The individual medalist was Pepperdine's Jayvie Agojo. She finished seven strokes ahead of the pack with a score of 221 (+5).
"This was one of our goals this year," said head coach Polly Schulze. "In the past two years we've either tied for third or missed third place by one stroke. I'm really happy with our performance and truly proud of our athletes."
Ueoka rallied from being tied for tied for 21st after the first 18 holes to tie for second place after the third and final round. She shot an 83 to start off the tournament and then a 71 in the second round. Ueoka shot a 74 for the low of the third round. She finished with a total score of 228 (+12).
"Miki has really proven herself in the WCC," said Schulze. "I have no doubt that she will have the opportunity to prove herself on the national level as well."
Freshmen Meaghan Kari and Tammy Surtees also had strong showings. Both tied for 13th with a score of 238 (+22). Kari's three day scores were 78-74-86, while Surtees scores were 78-82-78. Sophomore Katie Sharpe also had a top-20 finish as she tied for 17th. Junior Erin Sullivan rounded out the Bronco competitors with a score of 251 (+35). She tied for 22nd.
The Broncos set out at the beginning of the year with several clear goals. The first was to win a tournament in the fall and the spring. Santa Clara did just that by tying for first at the Boise State Invitational in October and then outright winning the Sacramento State Invitational in March. SCU also aimed for a number of individual titles and Ueoka pulled through winning three individual titles. The Broncos also posted a school-record team low-round of 294 at the Boise State Invitational.
