Having won nine of the first 16 ACC Championships and all but one of its tournaments this season, the women's golf team is looking to add a tally to both of those records this weekend at the Par 71 Salem Glen Country Club course in Clemmons, N.C.
"I expect people to behave like champions [by] keeping their chins up and thinking well," head coach Dan Brooks said. "That's where all the expectations are. Wins and losses take care of themselves."
Although Duke has dominated the field since the championship began, it will face three top-30 teams in this year's ACC field--Wake Forest is No. 14, North Carolina is No. 20 and Florida State is No. 30.
"Wake Forest was within five shots of us at one point [at a recent tournament], so that's exciting," Brooks said. "Lately we haven't had a lot of real tight ACC competition. We're going to have to stay focused and work hard."
However, with five golfers ranked in the top 12 nationally, the Blue Devils have strength across the board that no other team in the nation--let alone the ACC--has. The five Duke golfers rank above all other ACC individuals; UNC's Ashley Prange comes closest at No. 14.
Despite the recent strength of the Duke squad, particularly the 1999 and 2002 national championship teams, this year's team has been exceptionally dominant. Its only loss on the season was a third-place finish in an 18-team field at the Liz Murphy Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga. During this competition, the team was missing No. 1 Liz Janangelo and No. 6 Virada Nirapathpongporn, who were both competing in the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship.
The freshmen duo of No. 3 Brittany Lang and No. 10 Anna Grzebien has been a pivotal part of this year's success and No. 1 national team ranking. Lang has won two individual titles at the Lady Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. and the Liz Murphy Collegiate, where she finished with a career-best three-day total of 207. This spring, she has consistently dominated with five-straight top-five finishes.
Grzebien has finished in the top 10 at four competitions. One of her most impressive performances came at the Stanford/Pepsi Intercollegiate, where her final round score of 68 led the Duke team to its third title of the year.
Duke's experience has also been a large factor in the team's success. Seniors Nirapathpongporn and No. 12 Leigh Ann Hardin have had strong showings for the team, not only this season, but over the past four years. Nirapathpongporn claimed 2003's U.S. Amateur title, in addition to the 2001 ACC Championship, while Hardin has finished in the top nine at her first three ACC Championships.
"We have a very interesting balance," Brooks said. "I think we've got a unifying effect of force on the team. You need things that pull the team together... it's very important in golf."
Although Duke's spectrum of age has been pivotal for the team, the steady sophomore leadership of Janangelo has been the key to this year's success. Janangelo has won four individual titles on the year and led the team in five of the eight matches in which she competed. At last year's ACC Championship, Janangelo finished in a tie for second place.
Though Blue Devils topped the ACC from 1999 to 2002, North Carolina's Meaghan Francella won last year, beating Janangelo by one stroke.
According to Brooks, a Blue Devil is looking to reclaim that top spot this weekend.
"They all aspire to win individually, [and] they're all capable of it," Brooks said. "That's the neat thing about this team. [Individual opportunity] is important as a motivator, once you've got the team thing out of the way."
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