Hokie ClubWelcome to the Virginia Tech women's golf blog for the trip to the NCAA Austin Regional. In this blog, we will attempt to give Hokie fans more than just results. Our intent is to inform, entertain and inspire our followers with behind-the-scenes looks at all that goes in to this historic trip.
As most know, the historic portion of this trip is the fact that the Hokies made the NCAA regionals in just their third season of competition. While this experience will be know to those involved, it breaks down to another 54 hole tournament.
Tech learned of their fate on Wednesday, April 25. The planning of the trip west to Texas has gone hand-in-hand with the preparation for the actual playing of the event.
DAY 1 – Saturday, May 5
It was an early wake-up call for the Hokies, as the team left campus shortly after 5 a.m., for the trip to Roanoke to catch the flight to Atlanta and then on to Austin. Smooth travel put Tech in Austin before noon local time. After loading the rental van, the team headed northwest towards the University of Texas Golf Club, site of the regional. A stop for a little lunch put Tech at the course around 2 p.m.
Though teams are not allowed on the course toward, the beautiful Texas practice facility was open and available and the Hokies took full advantage of the facilities. While the players practiced, the coaches checked-in and then worked with the players. Dinner and rest are on the schedule tonight.
Tomorrow, its back out to the club, as the Hokies will get their first look at the course in the 9:28 a.m. CT practice round.
UPDATE
Feature stories on the Hokies:
Roanoke Times: http://www.roanoke.com/hokies/sports/other/virginia-tech-women-s-golfers-relish-opportunity-of-a-lifetime/article_ec97b91f-fcfd-52f0-8b80-0250d2f1f13e.html
Daily Press: http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt-hokies-womens-golf-ncaa-elizabeth-bose-050318-story.html
Day 2 – Practice Round
We're back at the hotel after a very busy and eventful day. Everyone is tired, but excited for tomorrow.
The Hokies got to the course about 8:30 a.m. and hit the range and the practice green to get warmed up for their 9:28 a.m. practice round.
In an event of the magnitude, the practice round is every bit as important as the three rounds of competition. How is that possible?
The Hokies and a lot of other teams here have never played or seen this course. Teams take their practice rounds very seriously. Often times, there is as much instruction on this day as any day of the season. Carol Robertson and Russell Abbott teach and instruct on every hole. Homework has been done by the coaches and the Hokies not only got to experience the course, but got input from the coaches, who had spent long hours talking to other coaches who had played here before.
Tech made the round in about 4:45 minutes with notebooks and yardage books filled with valuable intel on this course. The coaches had the obligatory NCAA administrative meeting at 4:30 p.m. CT and after that, it was off to get some dinner. And, since we are in Texas, that meant BBQ tonight! Outstanding. Some of us (not the players) ate more than we should have.
And what did the players and coaches think about the course? Words like "gorgeous", "beautiful" and "challenging" we commonly used. We will post a photo gallery later with some of the sights from today's round.
Also, make sure to check in with HokieVision later this evening for interviews with Coach Robertson, Elizabeth Bose and Jessica Spicer. There will be a lot of coverage from out here in Texas.
Day 2 – Family
Thought we'd do one more quick blog post before turning in for the night. And what better topic than family?
One Hokie, in particular was very happy with the trip to Austin, Elizabeth Bose. The junior from Norfolk will have quite the rooting section on the course tomorrow. It seems her parents are University of Texas graduates and Elizabeth has family in the area. As was witnessed on Sunday during and after the practice round.
Her older brother, Trip, lives up the road 100 miles in Waco. Trip is a certified PGA teaching professional who works at Ridgewood Country Club in Waco. He has made the drive south to see little sister on the course.
On another front, when the Hokies got to The County Line restaurant tonight, there were a couple of familiar faces waiting for Carol Robertson. Her husband, Jason and 4-year old son, JJ, had made it safely to Austin for the tournament.
We have also added a photo gallery at the right of this post. Hope you enjoy it.
We'd also like to congratulate the Virginia Tech Lacrosse team. They, too, earned their first-ever NCAA bid tonight. They head to Raleigh for a Friday meeting with Georgetown. The winner will play UNC on Sunday. Best of luck!
Tomorrow is the big day, so its time to get some rest. Make sure to follow @HokiesWGolf on Twitter for more happening. Good night, all.
Day 3 – Round 1
It's about 20 minutes until Jessica Spicer tees off to begin the Hokies' first round at the NCAA Austin Regional. Tech's tee times are from 9:50-10:30 a.m. Central Time.
The team is rested and ready for the task ahead of them. The field is outstanding and the weather, though warm for Virginia standards, is perfect. Not a cloud in the sky.
We'll have another blog entry following the round, if not at the turn. In the interim, make sure to follow @HokiesWGolf on Twitter and live scoring, with a link on the schedule page, the front page of Hokiesports.com and above to the right of this blog post. Go Hokies!
Day 3 – Round 1 Wrap Up
We're back at the hotel after dinner. We made the trek to The Oasis, a mega restaurant overlooking the lake. Tex-Mex was the fare and the views were spectacular. Having made several trips to the complex, it keeps getting bigger ever time I come back.
Thoughts on the day are many. The Hokies made their first-ever NCAA tournament round memorable due to smart play. The team obviously learned a lot from Sunday's practice round. Though outstanding, it's just the first of three rounds. After a brief time to cool off, the players were back on the practice facility to work on a few things.
The weather was perfect, but hot. Tech looked comfortable in the heat, despite having very few similar days back home. Not too windy and just wispy clouds in the sky.
Saw something today that makes you proud to be a fan of this team. Early in the round, a competitor from another school inadvertently hit a ball while preparing to putt. The ball moved about four feet and the player admitted the mistake and was ready to take her next putt from the new spot. Head coach Carol Robertson stopped the player before she hit and told the young lady to call for a rules official, as the rules had changed recently and it may not count as a stroke. Turned out that Coach was correct and saved the player and her team multiple strokes.
Golf is a game of honesty and respect. I'm sure others would have done the exact same thing in the same position, but Coach Robertson put it into action. Fair play is always the best policy. And that's one of the principles this program is founded upon. Makes you proud to be a Hokie.
It's fun being on the course with this team. Nice people having fun playing a game. They take their golf seriously. We know they take their academics seriously. But today, you could also see them having fun and enjoying the company of their opponents.
We would also like to take this time to offer our condolences on the passing of Dr. Charles W. Steger. The list of "He was the President of Virginia Tech when…" is lengthy. But to Virginia Tech women's golf, he was the President of Virginia Tech when this program began. He was always such a huge supporter, not just of golf and athletics, but of the entire University community.
This will hopefully be the first of two blogs tonight. We will post a photo gallery shortly and make sure you check out the highlight video on HokieVision. I know the players have already seen it and really enjoy it. We might even have a few new things to share on @HokiesWGolf
Day 3 – Round 1 Firsts
We thought, since this was the first round of NCAA Regional play in the program's history, we'd start a "Firsts" list. Let's see how this goes.
First Shot – Jessica Spicer, from the first tee at approximately 9:51 a.m. CT
First Birdie – Allison Woodward, a birdie-3 on 1st hole at approximately 10:15 a.m. CT
First Eagle – Amanda Hollandsworth, an eagle-3 on the par 5, 459-yard 5th hole
Also, giving a shout out to Emily Mahar, who eagled the par 5, 495-yard 14th hole
That's a good start. Let's see if we can add to it on Tuesday. The photo gallery is now live on both the first round story and this blog. Also, just posted comments from Coach Robertson on @HokiesWGolf
Day 4 – Round 2 Wrap Up
Another exciting day on the course. Off the course, a little excitement, too.
Over the previous 24 hours, several players and coaches of other teams fell ill and it has impacted this regional. East Carolina was only able to field two players today due to illness and several coaches also missed play today.
Luckily, Virginia Tech has not been affected. The coaching staff took extra precautions to keep the team as healthy as possible.
The Hokies are back at the hotel and resting for what promises to be an exciting and eventful Wednesday in Austin. Tech enters the final round tied for fourth place with Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
So, to catch everyone up on the regional system, this is how it works. There are four regional sites (this year, Austin, Madison, Wisconsin, Tallahassee and San Francisco). The top six teams and the top three individuals from each of the four sites advance to the nationals in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
A look at the leaderboard here in Austin provides a myriad of possibilities. Seven teams are inside the cut line, including ties. Auburn, in eighth place is just two strokes off the number and Michigan State and BYU are just six strokes off the number. So bids are very much in doubt.
Individually, we won't know who the three individuals will be until we know the six teams, but a score under par will be in contention for those spots.
In summary, there is a lot of golf to be played tomorrow. The good news is, the Hokies have played well enough to give themselves the chance. In this, as in almost every sporting event, that's all you can ask for going into the final day.
We will try and update the blog and Twitter during the round, but the best way to follow will be on Golfstat.com. There is a link on this page, the schedule page and the front page of Hokiesports.com.
Day 3 – "Firsts" Additions
We thought, since this was the first round of NCAA Regional play in the program's history, we'd start a "Firsts" list. Let's see how this goes.
These are from Monday's first round
First Shot – Jessica Spicer, from the first tee at approximately 9:51 a.m. CT
First Birdie – Allison Woodward, a birdie-3 on 1st hole at approximately 10:15 a.m. CT
First Eagle – Amanda Hollandsworth, an eagle-3 on the par 5, 459-yard 5th hole
Also, giving a shout out to Emily Mahar, who eagled the par 5, 495-yard 14th hole
These are from Tuesday's second round
First Par-or-Better 9 – Jessica Spicer, made 12 consecutive pars, including the entire back 9
First Back-to-Back Birdies – Elizabeth Bose, birdies on 5th and 6th
Also, giving a shout out to Amanda Hollandsworth, who birdied the same two holes, just a little later in the morning.
One more note: Of the 45 holes on the Back 9 for Virginia Tech on Tuesday, 36 were pars. That's 80%, pretty solid.
Day 4 – Final Round Wrap Up
Things didn't turn out the way they were planned on Wednesday, as Tech fell to 10th in the final standings at the NCAA Austin Regional. But in the end, though disappointed, the Hokies were able to hold their heads high for the effort given today, during the tournament and this season.
The main bright spot for Tech today was the play of junior Elizabeth Bose. Tech's top scorer this season scuffled a bit through the first two rounds, but jumped out fast on Wednesday and posted Tech's best round of the trip. Bose birdied the first two holes and five birdies in the round for a 3-under 69.
This team, which returns all five players who competed here in Austin and all nine players in all, gained valuable experience against the best competition collegiate golf has to offer. A tough course, warm weather and a top-flight field never faltered this squad. True, the outcome was not what was hoped for, but Tech, the 14th seed in the 18-team field finished 10th overall and Bose claimed a top 25 finish.
This program caught the eye of many in the golf world by its play and its team chemistry. To say the future of Virginia Tech Women's Golf is bright is a tremendous understatement.
A tired crew got a good meal and then headed to their rooms for the early wake-up call in the morning. Thursday evening will see the Hokies back in Blacksburg, with exams behind them.
We will post one more blog in the morning, sort of a wrap up to this whirlwind experience. We also hope to fight through some technical issues and post a photo galley before leaving town.
Here's wishing the Hokies and all the teams here safe travels home.
The Final Blog - Austin
Well, it's Thursday morning and the team left Austin bright and early headed eventually to Blacksburg. Fans are heading home and some of us are waiting for our flights. Let's take a few minutes to reflect on this tremendous experience. We've already wrapped up the tournament play, so no need to rehash that here.
This was an historic week for the program and a memorable one for the players, coaches and staff. A new experience for most and one that will never be forgotten. Though disappointed at not advancing to Stillwater, this team has certainly left its mark on this event and this golf season.
One thing all Hokies need to know is this team has been a pleasure to cover. We are fortunate at Virginia Tech to have outstanding student-athletes who are even better people. That is certainly true of this team. To see the sense of sportsmanship, fair-play and respect these young people have is inspiring. To see them thank people for coming out to watch them play, to see them thank the workers and volunteers who run the tournament, to see them thank members of the media for interviewing them and to see them have a great time with their playing competitors makes Hokie Nation proud.
Let's also take pride in the fact that both of the fourth-year players, Amanda Hollandsworth and Allison Woodward, will graduate this weekend.
Plenty of people to thank before we shut this blog down. First and foremost to the players, who have been great to deal with throughout this process. Thanks to Carol Robertson and Russell Abboott for allowing us an inside peak at what makes this group tick. Shout out to Daniel Sabatino from HokieVision, who walked the course every day and then went on to produce top-quality videos of the trip. And thanks to all the parents who have supported these players and this program.
In closing, the best thing to remember is that this is not the end, but only the beginning of future NCAA appearances. This program was built the right way and that's why they have seen success in such a short period of time.
Goodbye from Austin and Go Hokies!