Albrecht And Heck Power Irish To Final Round 290 At NCAA Regionals

May 9, 2018 | Final Results

NCAA Regional Home Page| Live Scoring

By Dan Colleran

MADISON, Wis. — Emma Albrecht and Abby Heck put on a show to close out the 2018 NCAA Madison Regional, combining for eight birdies over their final nine holes of the day to power the Notre Dame women’s golf team to a final round 290 at the University Ridge Golf Course.

The Irish moved up two places on the day to finish 12th. The 290 marked the program’s best round in NCAA play, which now includes 12 NCAA Regional appearances and one NCAA Championship appearance, besting 2013’s first round score of 292 by two strokes.

“I’m proud of how we played today and I really liked the fight that the team showed,” head coach Susan Holt said after the record-setting round. “Conditions were tough early in the round and they fought through it.”

Albrecht fired a 67 on Wednesday, shattering the program’s mark for best individual NCAA round by four strokes, while Heck finished with a 69, which will now mark Notre Dame’s second best individual NCAA round.

Albrecht, who started on the 12th hole, birdied three of her final four holes of the day to get to five-under par. All told, the Ormond Beach, Florida native had six birdies, 11 pars and a bogey. She finished tied for 11th (73-75-67=215) with the 215 accounting for Notre Dame’s lowest 54 hole total in NCAA play. In addition, her tie for 11th is the second best NCAA finish by an Irish golfer.

Heck, who started on the 13th hole, was two-over par with seven holes to play but then turned in back-to-back pars on the sixth and seventh holes before closing with five consecutive birdies to get to three-under par on the day. She tied for 23rd (217).

“The finish Emma and Abby put together was awesome to watch,” Holt concluded.

Junior Maddie Rose Hamilton and sophomore Mia Ayer shot final round 77’s to also score for the Irish.

Duke (850) won the regional and will be joined at the NCAA Championships by Virginia (859), Southern California (862), Arizona State (863), Ohio State (863) and Northwestern (864). Oregon State’s Nicole Schroeder (206) took medalist honors, with Wisconsin’s Gabby Curtis (209) and Indiana’s Erin Harper (213) joining Schroeder as individual NCAA Championship qualifiers.

NCAA OVERVIEW

• All told, 72 teams and 24 individuals competed at one of four NCAA regional sites, each featuring 18 teams and six individuals.
• The three additional 2018 regional sites included TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California, hosted by Stanford University; the University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, Texas, hosted by the University of Texas and the Don Veller Seminole Golf Course & Club in Tallahassee, Florida, hosted by Florida State University.
• From regional competition, 24 teams and 12 individuals advanced to the national championships Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma (May 18-23).

NOTRE DAME’S NCAA APPEARANCES (TEAM)

• 2004 — 17th (Normal, Illinois)
• 2005 — 18th (Lubbock, Texas)
• 2008 — 16th (Austin, Texas)
• 2009 — 16th (Columbus, Ohio)
• 2010 — 17th (Columbus, Indiana)
• 2011 — 5th (Notre Dame, Indiana)*
• 2012 — 15th (Columbus, Ohio)
• 2013 — t-15th (Auburn, Alabama)
• 2014 — 18th (Cle Elum, Washington)
• 2015 — 8th (South Bend, Indiana)
• 2016 — t-13th (Birmingham, Alabama)
• 2018 — 12th (Madison, Wisconsin)

* – Advanced to NCAA Championship

NOTRE DAME’S NCAA RECORDS BOOK

Best Team Finish

• Fifth place – 2011 (advanced to NCAA Championship)
• Eighth place – 2015

Low Team Score (54 holes)

• 886 — 2018
• 894 — 2015
• 901 — 2011
• 908 — 2013

Low Team Round

• 290 — 2018 (third round)
• 292 — 2013 (first round)
• 293 — 2015 (second round)
• 298 — 2011 (third round)
• 298 — 2011 (first round)

Best Individual Finish

• Nicole Zhang (T-8th) — 2011
• Emma Albrecht (T-11th) — 2018
• Emma Albrecht (T-13th) — 2017**
• Kristina Nhim (T-14th) — 2011
• Becca Huffer (T-16th) — 2010
• Noriko Nakazaki (T-18th) — 2007***
• • **-competed as individual participant at 2017 NCAA Columbus Regional
  • *** – competed as individual participant at 2007 NCAA Central Regional

Low Individual Score(54 holes)

• 215 — Emma Albrecht (2018)
• 217 — Abby Heck (2018)
• 221 — Talia Campbell (2015)
• 221 — Jordan Ferreira (2015)
• 222 — Lindsey Weaver (2013)
• 223 — Talia Campbell (2013)
• 223 — Nicole Zhang (2011)

Low Individual Round

• 67 — Emma Albrecht, 3rd round (2018)
• 69 — Abby Heck, 3rd round (2018)
• 71 — Talia Campbell, 3rd round (2015)
• 71 — Talia Campbell, first round (2013)
• 71 — Nicole Zhang first round (2011)
• 72 — Shot by five players

— ND —

Dan Colleran, Director of Athletics Communications at the University of Notre Dame, has been a part of Fighting Irish Media since August 2015 and coordinates all media and publicity efforts surrounding the Notre Dame hockey and golf programs. A native of Walpole, Massachusetts, Colleran spent the previous three years working with the men’s hockey and soccer programs at Providence College. Colleran also spent two years as an Assistant Executive Director of Communications & Championships at the Ivy League and is a graduate of Providence College (’06 & ’08G).