May 11, 2000

Release: Upon Receipt

FURMAN LADY PALADINS 20TH AT NCAA EAST REGIONAL

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Furman's Lady Paladin golf team is tied for 20th after round one of the NCAA East Regional, Thursday at the Scarlet Golf Course in Columbus, Ohio.

The Lady Paladins got off to a shaky start, making the turn at 22-over par and racking up 21 bogeys, doubles, and triples on the front nine with just one birdie - a three by sophomore Jennifer Perri on the par four ninth hole. The back nine proved a little kinder to Furman, as the Lady Paladins recorded a seven -over effort as a team, en route to a 317 total for the round. Furman enters round two of the Regional 11 strokes out of 11th place - the cutoff for teams advancing to the National Championship in Sunriver, Ore., later this month.

Perri and freshman Cimmie Shahan paced the team on Thursday and are tied for 61st after first-round 78s. Brandi Jackson carded an 80 and is in 91st, individually, while Stacey Burnett's 81 placed her 97th in the standings. Tara Schultz was the Lady Paladin non-counter on Thursday. She shot a first-round 86 and is 123rd in the individual rankings.

Purdue University lead the Regional by four strokes, after shooting 295, while Northwestern, Central Florida, Ohio State, and Michigan State are tied for second at 299. Defending national champion Duke is tied at 300 with Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

If Furman can rebound to place in the top 11, the Lady Paladins will make their 14th trip to the NCAA Championship since 1983, when the first women's golf championship took place.

Team Scores

1. Purdue 295

2. Northwestern 299

Central Florida 299

Ohio State 299

Michigan State 299

6. Florida 300

Duke 300

North Carolina 300

Tennessee 300

10. Auburn 301

11. LSU 303

12. Penn State 304

13. South Carolina 306

Indiana 306

15. South Florida 309

16. Wake Forest 310

17. Campbell 311

18. Kentucky 312

19. Georgia 318

20. Furman 317

Tulane 317

22. Vanderbilt 318

23. Mississippi 322

24. Arkansas 323

Furman

66. Jennifer Perri 78

Cimmie Shahan 78

91. Brandi Jackson 80

97. Stacey Burnett 81

123. Tara Charles 86