Women's Golf Prepares for ACC Championships
Deacons coming off a best-ever finish at Bryan National.
April 12, 1999
ACC Championships
The Demon Deacons will continue to play in the area as they travel to
nearby Greensboro to compete in the ACC Championships on April 16-18. The
tourney is again being held at the Grandover East Golf Course, which is a
familiar circuit for the Deacons. Sophomore Marta Prieto captured the ACC
individual title last year on the same course and senior Kristen Wagner had
the top finish of her career at the '98 ACCs as she finished ninth.
The Last Time Out
The Demon Deacons had their best finish of the year at the Bryan
National Collegiate as they placed second in the field of 12 at the Bryan
Park Champions Course in Brown Summitt, NC. Wake Forest was the co-host of
the event, along with UNC Greensboro. The University of Washington captured
the team championship, finishing the three-day event with a total of 916.
Wake Forest tied with the Swedish National Team for second place with a
54-hole total of 929.
Junior Kelly Kirwin had another strong outing, finishing in the top 10
for the second time in three weeks. She placed sixth at 76-77-73=226. She
was joined in the top 10 by sophomore Marta Prieto, who finished in a tie
for ninth place at 77-73-78=228. Senior Kristen Wagner had her top finish
of the year as she carded a career-best 73 in the second round to finish in
11th place at 80-73-78=231. The other Deacon individuals in the field were
freshmen Katie Brenny, who placed 37th at 78-84-83=245 and Nicole Faniola,
who was 47th at 85-85-82=252. Veronica Prado-Lacoste also competed for the
Deacs as an individual, finishing 59th at 85-85-88=258.
Kirwin, Brenny Record Career-Best Finishes
Junior Kelly Kirwin and freshman Katie Brenny each recorded
career-best finishes at the Casa de Campo Intercollegiate on March 12-14.
Kirwin, who was playing in her 26th straight tournament, finished second
at 15-over-par, 74-80-77=231, and Brenny was 16th at 22-over-par,
78-79-81=238.
Kirwin is the Deacons' "Iron Woman"
After competing in the Bryan National Collegiate on March 26-28,
junior Kelly Kirwin ran her streak of consecutive tournaments as a member
of the Wake Forest women's golf team to 28 straight. Kirwin is the only
member of the 1998-99 Demon Deacon squad to have competed in every event
during her career.
Deacon Quick Facts
Final 1998 Mastercard Ranking: 19th
Current Mastercard Ranking: 27th
Current GolfWeek/Sagarin Ranking: 21st
1998 ACC Championship Finish: 2nd
Head Coach: Dianne Dailey (Salem College '71), 11th year
The Demon Deacon Lineup
Kelly Kirwin (Jr, Grand Rapids, MN/Grand Rapids)
Holds a 76.30 stroke average through eight events in 1998-
99...recorded a career-best round of 72 at the 1998 Lady Seminole...had
career-best second-place finish at the Casa de Campo Intercollegiate..had
second top 10 finish in three weeks with a sixth- place showing at the
Bryan National Collegiate.
Marta Prieto (So, Sevilla, Spain/Academia Pre-Universitaria)
One of the Deacons' top players...captured the 1998 ACC Tournament
title as a freshman...leads the team with a 75.86 stroke average in 1998-99
through eight events...placed 24th at the Lady Gamecock Classic...finished
ninth at the Bryan National Collegiate.
Kristen Wagner (Sr, Martinsville, IN/Martinsville)
The Demon Deacons' captain for the 1998-99 season... has a stroke
average of 79.43 through seven events this year...top finish of the spring
was an 11th-place finish at the Bryan National Collegiate as she
carded a career-low 73 in the second round of the event..the top two
finishes of her career have come at the ACC Tournament.
Katie Brenny (Fr, Little Falls, MN/Little Falls)
Had streak of consecutive starts ended at Lady Gamecock Classic...has a
stroke average of 78.67,which is good for third on the team ...top finish
was a 16th-place showing at the Casa de Campo Intercollegiate as she carded
a 78 and a 79 in that tournament...finished tied for 37th place at the
Bryan National Collegiate on March 26-28.
Nicole Faniola (Fr, Old Lyme, CT/Old Lyme)
Competed in five events for the Deacons this season...top finish was a
47th place showing at the Bryan National Collegiate...also competed as an
individual at the 1998 Lady Tar Heel... finished 84th in that event...was
57th at the Casa de Campo Intercollegiate...and 54th at the SMU/OSU
Challenge...has a stroke average of 84.07 this season.
1998 ACC Championships
Wake Forest finished second at the 1998 ACC Championships behind team
champion Duke. The Demon Deacons finished with a team total of
300-313-304=917, which was 14 shots off the pace of the Blue Devils, who
finished with a total of 903.
Deacon freshman Marta Prieto made her first career victory a memorable
one as she captured the individual title in the event with a career-best
54-hole total of 5-over-par (72-76-73=221). With the win, Prieto became the
fourth Demon Deacon individual to capture the ACC title, joining
All-Americans Brenda Corrie (1986), Stephanie Neill (1993) and Laura Philo
(1995). For her efforts, Prieto was also named ACC Rookie of the Year.
Prieto was one of three Demon Deacon individuals to finish in the top
10 of the tourney as she was joined by senior Alexandra Armas and junior
Kristen Wagner. Armas finished alone in fourth place with an 11-over-par
total of 227 and Wagner finished in ninth place with a three-day total of
233. For Wagner, the total of 233 and the ninth-place finish were both
career bests.
Sophomore Kelly Kirwin finished the event in 15th place as she
completed play with a total of 236. Fellow sophomore Kerri Murphy was the
final Deacon individual in the field as she placed 19th with a total of 247.
1998 ACC Championships April 17-19, 1998
Grandover East Golf Course, Greensboro, NC
Team: 917 Place: 2nd of 4 Par 72, 6,015 yds
Marta Prieto 72- 76- 73= 221 1st
Alexandra Armas 75- 76- 76= 227 4th
Kristen Wagner 75- 82- 76= 233 9th
Kelly Kirwin 78- 79- 79= 236 15th
Kerri Murphy 82- 83- 82= 247 19th
TEAM 300- 313- 304= 917 2nd
Team Champion: Duke 305-301-297=903
Individual Champion: Marta Prieto, Wake Forest 72-76-73=221
Wake Forest at the ACC Tourney
The Demon Deacons have captured three Atlantic Coast Conference titles
in the 10 ACC tournaments that have been played. Wake Forest has finished
either first or second in each of the last five ACC Tournaments, including
back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995. The Deacons' first ACC Championship
came in the 1986 event, as WFU recorded a team total of 899, which is still
tied for the best 54-hole in school history at the ACCs. Brenda Corrie also
became the first Demon Deacon to capture the individual title in leading
Wake to the team championship that year.
After a nine-year absence from the winner's circle, the Deacons
returned in 1994 recording a team score of 924 to win the event in Uwahrrie
Point, NC. The Deacs defended their title in 1995, rallying from 10 strokes
down in the final round to defeat host Florida State. Wake was led by Laura
Philo as she won the individual title that same year.
ACC Tournament Results
Year Site Place Score
1984 Durham, NC 3rd 942
1985 Buies Creek, NC 3rd 934
1986 Buies Creek, NC 1st 899
1992 Advance, NC 4th 957
1993 Greensboro, NC 3rd 926
1994 Uwahrrie Point, NC 1st 924
1995 Tallahassee, FL 1st 906
1996 Greensboro, NC 2nd 899
1997 Stockbridge, GA 2nd 907
1998 Greensboro, NC 2nd 917
Wake Forest ACC Champions and ACC Honorees
ACC CHAMPIONS
Brenda Corrie 1986
Stephanie Neill 1993
Laura Philo 1995
Marta Prieto 1998
ACC COACH OF THE YEAR
Mary Beth McGirr 1986
Dianne Dailey 1994
Dianne Dailey 1995
ACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Stephanie Neill 1995
Laura Philo 1996
ACC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Alexandra Armas 1995
Marta Prieto 1998
ALL-ACC
Brenda Corrie 1985, '86
Stephanie Neill 1992, '93, '94, '95
Laura Philo 1995, '96, '97
Alexandra Armas 1995, '96, '98
Marta Prieto 1998
Current Demon Deacons in the ACC Championships
Kristen Wagner
Year Score Place
1997 80- 76- 79= 235 t-10th
1998 75- 82- 76= 233 9th
Kelly Kirwin
Year Score Place
1997 83- 83- 77= 243 17th
1998 78- 79- 79= 236 15th
Kerri Murphy
Year Score Place
1998 82- 83- 82= 247 19th
Marta Prieto
Year Score Place
1998 72- 76- 73= 221 1st
Injury Report
The Demon Deacons have felt the effects of a number of injuries this
season. In early March both Kerri Murphy and Camille Lee were sidelined for
the remainder of the spring season with injuries. Murphy, a junior who
missed the fall season with mono, has suffered from a problem with the
sciatic nerve in her back and has not been able to return to the Deacon
lineup. Lee, a freshman who played in every tournament during the fall, was
diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in early March and has been in rehab
since the middle of last month. Those injuries, coupled with the departure
of senior Trina Casburn from the team, have left the Deacs with only six
players on the active roster for much of the spring, including this week's
ACC Championships.
