April 30, 2007
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Senior co-captain Noriko Nakazaki (Hanover Park, Ill./Hoffman Estates) has been selected to compete in the 2007 NCAA Women’s Golf Central Regional. Nakazaki will tee it up at the University of Michigan Golf Course in Ann Arbor, Mich. on May 10-12.
Each of the three regions that make up the 2007 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship field are comprised of 21 teams and three golfers that are not on any of the selected teams. The three regional tournaments will be conducted May 10-12 to determine the championships field. A total of 324 participants have been selected for the regional competition. Of these players, 126 will advance to the championships finals. Eight teams and two individuals will advance from each regional. The championships finals will be held May 22-25 at the LPGA International Legends Course in Daytona Beach, Fla. and hosted by the University of Central Florida and the Central Florida Sports Commission.
Nakazaki becomes the first student-athlete in program history to make it to the NCAA Tournament as an individual competitor. However, she will be no stranger to NCAA competition as she was a part of Notre Dame’s only two tournament appearances ever in 2004 and 2005.
At the 2004 NCAA Central Regional in Normal, Ill., Nakazaki, a freshman at the time, posted a three-round score of 233 (+20, 80-74-79) to lead the Irish and finish tied for 36th among the field of 108. As a sophomore in 2005, she led Notre Dame with a 14-over par 230 (75-80-75) to tie for 37th at the Jerry S. Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas.
Nakazaki currently holds the program’s top career scoring mark with a 75.76 average. Her 2006-07 stroke average of 74.71 is on pace to eclipse her own mark of 75.41 from last year for the top single-season scoring average in school history. The senior is coming off a fifth-place finish at the 2007 BIG EAST Championship (April 22-24) with a 54-hole score of 219 (+3, 73-74-72). She copped her fourth all-BIG EAST honor, while helping the Fighting Irish to a runner-up finish at the tournament.
For more information on the 2007 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship, log onto ncaasports.com. Live results of the NCAA Central Regional will be available on golfstat.com.
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