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Women's golf moves into 1st

Wildcats move past USC to claim Pac-10 lead; final round

The top-ranked Arizona women's golf team elevated itself from second to first place yesterday after the second day of play at the Pacific 10 Conference Championships in Eugene, Ore.

The Wildcats, who were trailing Southern California by seven strokes going into second round, shot a 6-over-par 294 yesterday, which was 16 strokes better than the Trojans.

"They didn't play extremely well," head coach Todd McCorkle said of USC.

McCorkle was impressed by the performance of his team, which has a two-day score of 17-over-par 593 after the second round of play.

"It is kind of unexpected to pick up that kind of ground," McCorkle said.

He attributes the never-say-die attitude to the focus of his players.

"They just refuse to lose, and were in good shape going into tomorrow."

UCLA, which is five strokes behind the Wildcats, moved into second place, shooting a two-day total of 22-over-par 598, while Southern California dropped two spots into third with a two day total of 26-over-par 602. Even though the Wildcats are leading the tournament, McCorkle said his golfers have struggled this week and have had to work extremely hard to get where they are right now.

"We have fought hard to save good rounds," McCorkle said. "I am particularly proud of our effort."

Individually, All-American senior Jill Gomric is tied for third place - one shot out of first -at 2-over-par 146.

"It's great for Jill because it's her last Pac-10 championship," McCorkle said. "She is one behind going into tomorrow so she has a real chance of winning."

All-American senior Jenna Daniels, who is the No. 1 player in the nation, was disappointed after her 2-over-par 74 yesterday. Rather than going out to dinner with her teammates, Daniels went to the driving range to work on her game.

"She stood out there on that range for three hours alone," McCorkle said. "If anybody knew what she means to our team, it's incredible. She is our team."

Sophomore Cristina Baena improved her position by nine places yesterday and is now tied for ninth, while freshmen Julia Kraschinski moved up 20 spots to 11th place after shooting an even par 72, giving her a two day total of 6-over-par 150.

The final round concludes today.

Kamy Shaygan can be reached at sports@wildcat.arizona.edu.