Like the men's basketball team, the women's golf team suffered an unexpected early exit from postseason competition last year. In addition, the women's golf team's premature finish last season, just like that of the men's basketball team, came on the heels of back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances.
This year, however, the Blue Devils may be able to draw a more positive analogy with the basketball team -- by winning a national championship.
Duke can begin its quest for the title this weekend in Chapel Hill when it kicks off its fall season at the Lady Tar Heel Golf Tournament. Last year, the Duke placed second in this event, three strokes behind host school North Carolina. This year's tournament boasts a strong field that includes Wake Forest, Indiana, Miami, Tennessee and South Carolina.
Wake Forest, which is expected to be one of the top contenders for the Atlantic Coast Conference title, should give Duke its toughest challenge this weekend.
Sophomore Katharina Poppmeier placed second among individual players at Lady Tar Heel last year. In her first tournament as a Blue Devil, she finished two strokes behind the leader.
Jamie Koizumi, who was also make her Duke debut at last year's Lady Tar Heel, tied for eighth overall.
The team has been taking practice rounds in Chapel Hill this week to prepare for the Lady Tar Heel. In fact Duke has been using several local courses for practice while the Duke Golf Course is being renovated.
Last spring, the Blue Devils finished the year ranked second in the nation based upon scoring average. Nonetheless, the team failed to reach the NCAA Championship.
The top seven teams in each regional qualifying tournament advance to the national tournament. The Blue Devils finished eighth.
"It was just a rough tournament," head coach Dan Brooks said. "We had good vibes, good chemistry, the team was working hard. The golf gods just decided not to be nice to us."
This year, the team begins the season with more experience than it had last year. Seven of the eight golfers on Duke's roster return from last season, including three All-American selections.
Stephanie Sparks was named a First-Team All-American last year and Tonya Blosser, one of the team's two seniors, received Honorable Mention All-American honors. Pam Soliman was an academic All-American.
"Stephanie has worked out an alignment problem that she came in with," Brooks said. "Tonya Blosser's swinging really well right now. We have the experience of a good year last year. We want to draw on the positives of last year."
The team's only newcomer is freshman Liz Lepanto. Although she has less experience than the other players, Brooks expects her to compete in a few tournaments this season.
After the Lady Tar Heel, the team will participate in the University of Oregon Fall Preview, which will take place at the site of the NCAA Championships held in the spring. At the Fall Preview, the Blue Devils will face many of the top teams in the West, including defending national champion Arizona State and San Jose State, which led the nation in scoring average last year.
Another stiff challenge for Duke will be in South Carolina at the Furman Lady Paladin Golf Tournament, where it will compete against some of the top teams in the South.
"We have as good a schedule as any team in the country," Brooks said. "We're playing in real solid tournaments this year."
The main goal of this fall's squad is improvement. Brooks maintains contact with each of his golfers throughout the season so that mechanical and mental problems can be corrected whenever they arise. Therefore, he feels that his team is always prepared to succeed.
"Any one of the people we take to a tournament could win the thing individually," Brooks said. "I'm excited about this year -- as excited as I've been in a long time."
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