Athletics & Recreation / Magazine Feature

Women’s golf team is on par with nation’s best

Last season, the University of Denver women’s golf team had one if its finest seasons in program history and proved to be a force in women’s college golf.

The team secured its sixth consecutive Sun Belt Conference title, its first NCAA regional victory and finished fifth in the nation at the NCAA Championships in May. The team also achieved a grade point average of 3.71.

Sophomore Sarah Faller, junior Ellie Givens, senior Stephanie Sherlock and graduates Katie Kempter and Dawn Shockley were all named to the All-American Scholar Team. It was Kempter’s fourth such honor, and the second for Givens and Sherlock.

“Having five team members achieve this honor during one season is the most we have in had in our program history, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the team’s academic achievement,” associate head coach Lindsay Hulwick says.

“We are really looking forward to continue to build the tradition of excellent golf and excellent academics for the women’s golf program,” head coach Sammie Chergo says.

This year, the team begins the year ranked No. 6 in the nation in Golfweek.com’s 2009–10 preseason rankings. DU sits behind USC, UCLA, Auburn and Wake Forest. Arizona is ranked No. 1. Golfweek also says the team could make a run at a national title.

This year’s team will feature four freshmen. Chergo says the freshmen are very talented and all have a lot of playing experience. Golfweek.com tabbed freshman Kimberly Kim of Pahoa, Hawaii, as the “go-to-girl” for the Pioneers. The other freshmen include Sue Kim of Langley, British Columbia, Tory Bauman of River Hills, Wisc., and Kelly Drack of Melbourne, Fla.

“We are cautiously optimistic about the year,” Chergo says. “We are going to be young, but we will be improving all year and will be very competitive come spring time and the national championship.”

For more information, visit www.denverpioneers.com.

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