April 28, 2008
(San Francisco) - USF sophomore Danielle Cvitanov qualified for an individual berth in the 2008 NCAA Women's Golf West Regional beginning Thursday, May 8 at the Lincoln Hills Golf Club, hosted by Sacramento State. Cvitanov becomes the fourth golfer in program history to qualify as an individual and the first since teammate Jessica Potter accomplished the feat as a sophomore in 2006. A 2008 All-West Coast Conference First Team selection, Cvitanov enjoyed an strong first season for the Dons. The 2006 Division I Independent golfer of the Year (while at UC Davis) Cvitanov led the Dons in stroke average (74.73) and achieved an individual ranking of No. 125 according to the current GolfWeek.com poll. Cvitanov posted five wins in head-to-head meetings against individuals ranked in the top-25 and captured 10 victories versus top-50 foes. "I am proud of what Danielle has accomplished," USF head coach Ria Quiazon said. "She works extremely hard and is very deserving of this honor. It is a great opportunity for her to return to her hometown and play in front of friends and family on a course she is very familiar." Cvitanov was the Dons top finisher at the 2008 NCAA West Region Preview at the Lincoln Hills Golf Club, finishing 15th at 223 (76, 76, 71). In NCAA competition, each regional field includes three individuals and the top finisher advances to the NCAA National Championship, held May 20-23 at the University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course in Albuquerque, New Mexico, hosted by the University of New Mexico. With the selection of Cvitanov, San Francisco has been represented in every NCAA postseason since 2001. The Dons failed to qualify as a team for just the second time since 2002. USF posted its seventh consecutive runner-up showing to No. 16 Pepperdine in the recently completed 2008 WCC Championships.
Emilie Arnaud, the 2001 West Coast Conference Championship Medalist, qualified for NCAA Regional play in 2001. Current LPGA Tour professional and USF Hall-of-Famer Juli (Christopher) Hilton earned San Francisco's first ever NCAA Regional Individual berth in 1993. The West regional will be played May 8-10 at the Lincoln Hills Golf Club, Lincoln, California, hosted by Sacramento State University. Conference automatic qualifiers are indicated in parenthesis next to the institution. Teams: 1. Southern California (Pacific-10 Conference) 2. Arizona State 3. Arkansas 4. Arizona 5. Oklahoma State (Big 12 Conference) 6. California 7. Michigan State 8. Stanford 9. BYU 10. Tulsa (Conference USA) 11. North Carolina |
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