Women's Golf Finishes 20th At NCAA West Regional
5/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
CLE ELUM, Wash. - Gonzaga University's women's golf team finished 20th in the NCAA Far West Regional at Tumble Creek at Suncadia Resort with a final-round 318 Saturday afternoon.
The Zags finished with a 54-hole score of 954.
Although another windy day greeted the golfers, the Zags got a final-round 77 from sophomore Raychelle Santos, a 78 from junior Alice Kim and a career-ending 79 from Tai Jade 'TJ' Kliebphipat who put the wraps on her career after missing last year's NCAA appearance with a wrist injury. Freshman Ciera Min and junior Han Wu each shot 84 Saturday.
Kim and Kliebphipat tie for Bulldog medalist honors with 54-hole scores of 238 over the 6,252-yard, par 72 layout, with Min finishing one shot behind Kim and Kliebphipat.
Gonzaga, the 17th seed, had climbed into a tie for 15th mid-way through Saturday's round.
"I was really happy with the way we came out and competed today," Gonzaga head coach Brad Rickel said. "While we are disappointed with our overall placing, we can't lose sight of the fact we had another outstanding season. While we'll miss TJ, we have a great nucleus returning next season."
The Bulldogs earned their inaugural NCAA Regional berth a year ago, placing 19th in the Central Regional after entering the tournament as the 16th seed.
The top eight teams advancing from the West to the NCAA finals are defending national champion University of Southern California which claimed the title with a 1-shot victory over host University of Washington, Arizona State University, University of Oklahoma, Michigan State University, Iowa State University, Texas A&M and Northwestern University.
