April 6, 1998

Winston-Salem, NC-- Continuing tradition and beginning a new one is the buzz surrounding the Wake Forest women's golf program as it heads into the 1998 season.

Coach Dianne Dailey has led the program into national prominence during the 1990's. The program has produced at least one All-American every year during this decade except one and has been to the NCAA Championships for five consecutive seasons. That is the longest streak ever among ACC schools.

In March, Wake Forest and UNC Greensboro will co-host the inaugural Bryan National Collegiate. The tournament will become an annual event held at the Bryan Park Champions Course in Brown Summitt, NC. With both schools working along side various people in the community, the event is already establishing itself as one of the premier collegiate women's golf tournaments in the country. There is already a waiting list to join the 15-team field in 1999.

With the Bryan National Collegiate in Wake Forest's own "backyard", the Deacs will have a so called "home field advantage" late in the season as it prepares for postseason play. The ACC Tournament will be held in Greensboro and the NCAA East Regional will be less than 90 minutes down the road in Durham, NC.

"We're excited about the Bryan National Collegiate, it is the first time we have ever hosted a tournament. We would love to be able to win the inaugural tournament," says coach Dianne Dailey.

"We would like to win at least one or two tournaments this spring. It is always our goal to win the ACC, however the competition will be tough. Duke was ranked as the number one team in the country during the fall and North Carolina along with Florida State also have strong teams this year. The ACC will be a test for us, we will definitely have to work hard," comments Dailey. "Our biggest goal is to qualify for the NCAAs. The regional is at Duke this year and I feel that should give us an advantage in earning one of the eight spots to qualify for the national tournament," adds Dailey.

To achieve those goals, the Deacons must play with more consistency than they exhibited during the fall. Wake Forest opened the fall with a fifth place finish at the Rolex Fall Preview, but finished 12th two weeks later at the Mercedes-Benz Championships. A week later, the Deacons carried the lead into the final round of the Lady Tar Heel after tying the school record for lowest team rounds twice with a 289. Wake finished that event second and closed out the fall with another 12th place finish at the Lady Paladin.

"As a team we are trying to get our stroke average down and develop some consistency. We posted really good scores this fall. We tied a school record in the first and second rounds of the Lady Tar Heel tournament. We are capable of doing that again and we just need to get more consistent. I think that consistency is one of our top goals," states Dailey.

"We need to eliminate the occasional high round and play to our potential. We've proven we can play with the best of teams and just need to be consistent with good scores."

The benchmark for consistency during the fall, from an individual standpoint, was senior Alexandra Armas. Armas, a 1995 All-American, did not post a round above 75 in 12 rounds of play . That is the first time in school history that a player has played the entire fall without a round over 75.

"Alexandra played very well and finished in the top-five of every tournament in which she played. She is ready to win a tournament here soon, it is just a matter of time before she breaks through. I wouldn't be surprised if she wins two or three tournaments this spring. She has the game and the capability to do so," says Dailey.

Armas heads into the spring ranked as the fifth best individual in the country according to the MasterCard rankings. Her stroke average of 73.0 is also among the top five in the country, an enormous improvement over her 1996-97 average of 78.6. Dailey credits the improvement to Armas' increased practice with her wedges and putter.

Beyond the play of Armas, Dailey expects big things from freshman Marta Prieto. Prieto, the 1997 Spanish National Amateur champion, participated in two tournaments for the Deacs in the fall finishing as the second best Deacon in both events behind Armas.

"I am excited that Marta Prieto will be able to play for us more in the spring. She saw limited action in the fall but I expect her to be a regular starter in the spring. She will bring experience from her international play and added depth to the team."

Another player that adds depth and experience to the lineup is sophomore Kelly Kirwin who has played in every tournament of her Wake Forest career. She showed improvement in the fall firing a career low round of 73 at the Lady Tar Heel and finishing the tournament with a career best score of 227.

"Kelly has been making steady improvement and had some good scores in the fall. I anticipate Kelly to continue to play well for us. She is on the verge of breaking through," states Dailey.

Two juniors who expect to contribute are Kristen Wagner and Trina Casburn. Wagner played in one tournament in the fall but was among the five player lineup during the Deacs' stretch run last season. She posted scores of 76, 75, and 74 in three rounds of the NCAA Championship. Casburn played in two tournaments during the fall and fired a one-under-par round to open the Lady Tar Heel.

"Kristen has been working hard this fall and she should see more action in the spring. Trina had some good performances for us this fall. Her goal is to try and be more consistent and keep those scores down. Their experience will help us in the long run," says Dailey.

Sophomores Kerri Murphy and Stefanie Reynolds worked their way into the lineup in the fall. Murphy saw action in the Mercedes-Benz Championships, while Reynolds recorded a career best 72 in the second round of the Lady Tar Heel to help the Deacs post a school record score of 289 for the second straight day.

"Kerri Murphy has been working hard on her game and I think she will see a lot of action this season. She had a very active summer playing in some tournaments and it is just a matter of time before she starts getting her scores down and qualifying for tournaments," says Dailey.

"Stefanie Reynolds played in two tournaments during the fall after not playing at all last year. We are pleased that she is making steady improvement. She is excited about playing and she should continue to play well in the spring," adds Dailey.

The pieces are in place for the Deacs to make another run at the NCAA Championships. If the team can reach a consistent level of play, its goal of a top 10 finish are definitely within reach.