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WGolf ACC Championship History: First ACC Title in 1984
4/22/2020 7:16:00 AM | Women's Golf
DURHAM, N.C.— The Duke women's golf program has won 21 ACC Championships in program history. Head coach Dan Brooks has guided the Blue Devils to 20 of the 21 titles. From April 14 through April 23, Duke will look back at each championship.
Apr. 22, 1984 –
The Duke women's golf program brought home the first of many soon-to-be ACC Championships in 1984. Over the three days at the Duke Golf Club, the Blue Devils carded a 54-hole ledger of 924 to win the title ahead of North Carolina.
"Winning the first Women's ACC Golf Championship was rewarding, especially since it was Duke's first women's ACC team championship," said Duke head coach Ron Schmid. "We felt all year we were the team to beat and winning the Championship truly validated our belief. It was nice to see the many years of work put in by the entire team finally come to fruition."
With NC State adding women's golf, the ACC held its first ACC Championship in the spring of 1984. Duke opened the tournament with a 303 in the first round and led by 10 strokes as Mary Ann Widman Levins carded a 71.
"We were so excited when NC State decide to field a women's program which then meant we had the minimum number of teams required to host a Women's ACC Championship," added Schmid. "All that the ladies had accomplished to that point seemed truly validated by bring home the first of many ACC Championships."
With a 72 in round two, the Blue Devils posted a 309 on the second day and held a seven-stroke lead heading into the final round with a 612.
Duke signed for a 312 in the final round and won by 12 strokes ahead of North Carolina. It marked the first ACC Championship by a women's sports team at Duke.
Widman Levins won the ACC individual crown with a three-day ledger of 224, while Margaret Pierson was fourth and Michele Miller was fifth from the Blue Devils.
"The team title was really special for us and for Coach Schmid," commented Widman Levins. "Everyone had worked very hard to build the women's golf program. That 1984 team definitely was a 'glass half full' kind of team. They saw opportunities and ignored perceived roadblocks. It was nice to see the courage and perseverance acknowledged with a win at the first ACC Women's Golf Championship."
Apr. 22, 2001
The top-ranked Duke women's golf team didn't play their best golf at Disney in 2001, but came away with its sixth consecutive ACC Championship with a three-stroke victory over Wake Forest at the Disney Palm Course in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Freshman Virada Nirapathpongporn became the third consecutive Duke freshman to claim individual medalist honors as she finished the three-day tournament with an even par 216. The native of Bangkok, Thailand posted a 69, 71, and 76 to notch her second collegiate victory. Duke's Beth Bauer (1999) and Maria Garcia-Estrada each tallied medalist honors as freshmen the two years before.
"I played very well the first two days, but today I just missed my chances here and there," said Nirapathpongporn. "The first two days I missed shots, but I made it up. It was tough, but I am proud of the way I was able to handle it to the end and come out on top."
The Blue Devils finished the final round with a 307 and turned in a three-day total of 899 to notch the championship.
Junior Candy Hannemann (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) turned in a 76 on the final day to finish in fifth for the tournament (73-76-76=225) and senior Kalen Anderson (Edina, Minn.) finished tied for sixth posting a 76 during each round this weekend (76-76-76=228). Duke's freshman Leigh Anne Hardin (Martinsville, Ind.) finished in ninth (230) and sophomore Kristina Engstrom (Djursholm, Sweden) was tied for 11th (234).
Blue Devil head coach Dan Brooks on Nirapathpongporn's play, "She played a good tournament and is hitting the ball very well. She could of gone even or under today, but she struggled a little bit."
#GoDuke
Apr. 22, 1984 –
The Duke women's golf program brought home the first of many soon-to-be ACC Championships in 1984. Over the three days at the Duke Golf Club, the Blue Devils carded a 54-hole ledger of 924 to win the title ahead of North Carolina.
"Winning the first Women's ACC Golf Championship was rewarding, especially since it was Duke's first women's ACC team championship," said Duke head coach Ron Schmid. "We felt all year we were the team to beat and winning the Championship truly validated our belief. It was nice to see the many years of work put in by the entire team finally come to fruition."
With NC State adding women's golf, the ACC held its first ACC Championship in the spring of 1984. Duke opened the tournament with a 303 in the first round and led by 10 strokes as Mary Ann Widman Levins carded a 71.
"We were so excited when NC State decide to field a women's program which then meant we had the minimum number of teams required to host a Women's ACC Championship," added Schmid. "All that the ladies had accomplished to that point seemed truly validated by bring home the first of many ACC Championships."
With a 72 in round two, the Blue Devils posted a 309 on the second day and held a seven-stroke lead heading into the final round with a 612.
Duke signed for a 312 in the final round and won by 12 strokes ahead of North Carolina. It marked the first ACC Championship by a women's sports team at Duke.
Widman Levins won the ACC individual crown with a three-day ledger of 224, while Margaret Pierson was fourth and Michele Miller was fifth from the Blue Devils.
"The team title was really special for us and for Coach Schmid," commented Widman Levins. "Everyone had worked very hard to build the women's golf program. That 1984 team definitely was a 'glass half full' kind of team. They saw opportunities and ignored perceived roadblocks. It was nice to see the courage and perseverance acknowledged with a win at the first ACC Women's Golf Championship."
Apr. 22, 2001
The top-ranked Duke women's golf team didn't play their best golf at Disney in 2001, but came away with its sixth consecutive ACC Championship with a three-stroke victory over Wake Forest at the Disney Palm Course in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Freshman Virada Nirapathpongporn became the third consecutive Duke freshman to claim individual medalist honors as she finished the three-day tournament with an even par 216. The native of Bangkok, Thailand posted a 69, 71, and 76 to notch her second collegiate victory. Duke's Beth Bauer (1999) and Maria Garcia-Estrada each tallied medalist honors as freshmen the two years before.
"I played very well the first two days, but today I just missed my chances here and there," said Nirapathpongporn. "The first two days I missed shots, but I made it up. It was tough, but I am proud of the way I was able to handle it to the end and come out on top."
The Blue Devils finished the final round with a 307 and turned in a three-day total of 899 to notch the championship.
Junior Candy Hannemann (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) turned in a 76 on the final day to finish in fifth for the tournament (73-76-76=225) and senior Kalen Anderson (Edina, Minn.) finished tied for sixth posting a 76 during each round this weekend (76-76-76=228). Duke's freshman Leigh Anne Hardin (Martinsville, Ind.) finished in ninth (230) and sophomore Kristina Engstrom (Djursholm, Sweden) was tied for 11th (234).
Blue Devil head coach Dan Brooks on Nirapathpongporn's play, "She played a good tournament and is hitting the ball very well. She could of gone even or under today, but she struggled a little bit."
#GoDuke
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