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By Alex Myers
Assistant Sports Editor

The Wake Forest women's golf team was back in action this past weekend at the ACC/SEC Challenge hosted by Florida State. The Deacs played sluggishly and wound up with a 10th-place finish.

The event was played at the par-71, 5,937-yard Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, Fla., on Sept. 27 - 29 and had a field consisting of 11 of the top women's golf teams from the ACC and SEC conferences. Furman also competed rounding out the 12-team field.

The Deacons book-ended a brilliant second round with less than stellar efforts in the first and third rounds. As a result, the team never got close to the lead and finished with a total score of 70-over par and a distant 35 shots behind team champion Auburn.

Auburn also boasted the individual champion, Dianne Ramage, and for the third straight year the SEC out-dueled the ACC in the event.

"It was a tough golf course," Head Coach Diana Dailey said. "We also didn't get to have a practice round due to the weather, which set us back."

The Deacs struggled at the start by posting a team score of 29-over-par 313 in round one. The team was able to bounce back with a 15-over-par round of 299 on the second eighteen, but couldn't continue the good play in the final round when the team shot a 26-over-par 310. "We need to play better as a team and finish higher," Dailey said. "We should be breaking 300 every time."

Nuria Clau led the charge for the Deacs shooting a five-over- par total of 218 for the tournament and finishing in a tie for fourth place.

Her last two rounds were particulary strong as she fired back- to-back one-over-par 72's. For her efforts, Clau was named to the 2002 ACC/SEC Challenge All-Tournament team. Clau finished just two strokes out of second place and four back of Ramage.

Sophomore Ashley Hoagland was the only other Deac anywhere near the top of the leader-board finishing at 11-over par and in a tie for 16th place. Hoagland was actually tied with teammate Clau going into the final round, but she shot a substandard seven-over-par final round 78 to fall back to the pack.

"I know (Ashley) was disappointed with how she finished, but she's getting better all the time." Dailey said.

Junior Deborah Means was the next highest Deacon finisher. Means finished at 25-over par and in 50th place. Senior Caroline Stetler posted a total of 29-over par and in a tie for 54th place.

Freshman Julie McKenna had a rocky debut as a Deac ending up in a tie for 64th place at 39-over par.

"This showed us some weaknesses that we need to work on for the spring," coach Dailey said. "We also got to see how we stand up to some of the best teams in the country."

The Deacs will look to improve at their next tournament, the Lady Tar Heel Invitational at the Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill.