Women's Golf Picked Eighth In Golf World/NGCA Preseason Coaches' Poll - AuburnTigers.com

Women's Golf Picked Eighth In Golf World/NGCA Preseason Coaches' Poll Candace Schepperle tabbed as No. 4 player in the country

The Auburn women's golf team, under head coach Kim Evans, is coming off a SEC Championship season in 2009.

Sept. 3, 2009

AUBURN - The Auburn women's golf team will enter its 2009-10 season ranked eighth in the nation according to the preseason Golf World/NGCA Coaches' Poll, the magazine announced Thursday.

The Tigers received 684 points in the inaugural poll and are the second-ranked SEC team behind No. 7 Alabama. Defending NCAA champion Arizona State enters the season ranked No. 1 in the country with 34 of the 41 possible first-place votes. The Sun Devils are followed by Southern California, UCLA, Oklahoma State, Denver and Wake Forest.

"We have a veteran team coming back this season and I believe this poll shows a lot of respect for where our program is," said Kim Evans, who is entering her 16th season as Auburn's head coach. "We return our top four players from last season and add two very talented freshmen, so I'm really excited about the opportunities that are out there for us."

Returning for Auburn is All-American and 2009 SEC Golfer of the Year Candace Schepperle, along with fellow All-American Cydney Clanton. Also returning are sophomores Patricia Sanz and Haley Wilson, who was an All-SEC Second Team selection as a freshman.

Schepperle and Clanton also earned preseason accolades in Golf World's "Top 50 Players to Watch" list. Clanton returns after finishing second on the team with a 74.23 stroke average last season while Schepperle ranks fourth overall on the list after leading the team with a 72.00 stroke average.

"It is definitely a good feeling to know that people think that highly of me," said Schepperle. "I'm excited about the season and I'm just ready to get out and play golf again."

The Tigers are set to open the 2009-10 season this weekend at the Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship, Sept. 6-8, at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Match Play Championship includes 16 teams competing over three days in a hybrid match/medal play format. Teams are invited to the event based on top ranked teams at the end of the Fall season the previous school year.