Cards women's golf falls short in bid for Great Eight -- Do you know Cassidy Rowe? -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS FINISH FIFTEENTH IN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Four 18-hole rounds in four straight days. Against the best in women's collegiate golf. 

Louisville women's golf's bid to advance to a fifth day in the NCAA Championships fell short yesterday in Stillwater, OK. The "chip and putt" Cards did record their best performance of the four days with a 8 over par 296 at the Kirsten Creek Golf Club...but it wasn't enough to move them up in the standings to eighth, which is where they needed to be in order to continue to Tuesday action. 

From the ACC only Florida State and Duke remain in contention for the title. After four days, UCLA and Alabama are tied for first at +9 for 72 holes. The Cards finished +47 for the four days in Oklahoma. 

It was Kristen Engle's day to have the lowest total for the Louisville five-some. She carded a 1 under par 71 in Monday's action. The freshman had five birdies on the final day and a total of nine birdies for the event. Out of Barbourville, KY, Engle was the top ranked golfer in Kentucky high school in 2016 and originally committed to play at Tennessee. She ended up a Card, though and has been a consistent performer for UofL head coach Courtney Trimble her freshman season. 

Lauren Hartlage and Molly Skapic had 74's on Monday.  Hartlage, a sophomore from Elizabethtown, KY was considered one of the best in the state during her high school playing days and forms a strong returning nucleus with Engle for next season. Skapic, a senior from Miamisburg, OH, had two eagles in the four-day event. 

Olivia Cason, a junior out of Elizabethtown, KY and Delaney Shah, a sophomore from North Potomac, MD filled out the Cardinal five-some and both also return next season...giving Trimble a strong and experienced nucleus back on campus and out at the UofL Golf Course links. 

The Cards also return several talented golfers who did not compete in the NCAA Championship. Expected to return for their sophomore seasons are Jordan Susce (Birmingham, AL), Linda Trockel (Berlin, Germany) and Margot Bechadergue (Aix-en-Provence, France). Also back is Meghan Nay, who will be a red-shirt junior. 

The finish for the Cards was quite impressive and is, we hope, the prelude to an even stronger showing next year "out on the links". 


NAME FOR THE FUTURE? 

There is a 8th grader playing girls' high school basketball in Pikeville, KY for Shelby Valley High School that you might want to get to know. We've mentioned her here before at Cardinal Couple...CASSIDY ROWE...says that Louisville is her favorite school, the Cards have shown reciprocal interest in the class of 2022 prospect, and...it appears she's got huge game. 

I know, teenagers can change their minds almost daily. A soon-to-be freshman, though, she has followed Louisville since the fifth grade, from many accounts. 

Former Cardinal Couple columnist Jenny O'Bryan might be one of the best authorities around about Cassidy. Our attempts to reach Jenny, unfortunately, have failed recently...but we figure she's probably busy with life. 

For you, a You Tube clip that shows this "Cassidy" doesn't need the "Sundance Kid" to help her shred defenses and rob opponents of wins. 

CASSIDY ROWE


WANT CHANGE? DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT ! 







Go Vote today if you're a registered party member and live in Kentucky. It's Election Day. 

 Being a staunch "independent", I don't cast my ballot in party primaries...but...I can tell you that anyone associated with current governor, UofL hater, Matt Bevin wouldn't get a dry piece of toast from me...much less my vote. 

Voting IS important! We have that right. In some countries, that right does not exist. It doesn't matter who you are, rich or poor, black or white, city or country, Cat or Card...research, make your choice and go vote. If you're not registered, GO REGISTER! 

If you don't vote, don't complain about political leaders.

Classic rock band Chicago has a great song about
making it happen: DIALOUGE PARTS 1 &2 - CHICAGO




paulie
xxxxx

Women's Golf "sneaks" into Fourth Round of NCAA Tournament Play -- Opening WNBA Weekend --MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS IN 15th PLACE AND MOVE TO MONDAY

It took winning a non-sudden death tiebreaker over Auburn and then waiting five hours until play was completed on Sunday by all 24 teams, but Louisville claims the 15th and final spot in the NCAA Women's Golf Championships "Sweet Fifteen". The top 15 teams with the lowest 54 hole scores move into Monday play, where the field will be further cut to eight teams after 18 more holes on Stillwater. OK's Karsten Creek Golf Club. 

Head UofL women's golf coach Courtney Trimble was "on pins and needles": 

"We're really excited to have to have the opportunity to advance. We were waiting on pins and needles and even went to see a movie during that (waiting) time. We needed a distraction since it was out of our hands, but we couldn't be more excited." 

One has to wonder, what did they go view? CADDYSHACK? . Maybe HAPPY GILMORE? .

The Cards will have some work to do to get to the top eight. The UofL squad is +39 after 54 holes of golf. Alabama leads the way at -2. UCLA follows at +6. In eighth, where the Cards will try to get to today is Kent State with a +27.

Freshman Kristen Engle's score of 73 yesterday helped propel Louisville to "quarter-final action". She finished the day with birdies on two of the final three holes. Lauren Hartlage was not far behind with a 74 and Molly Skapik kept the Cards in contention with a three-over-par 75 that included an "eagle" (her second of the tournament) on a par 5. Qlso participating for UofL were Delaney Shah (80) and Olivia Cason (83)

No, she didn't bring America's proud symbol to the course. For the golfing terminology lacking...an "eagle" is 2 under so she shot a three. Tee time for Louisville today is 12:30 p.m. and the "chip and putt" Cards will have Texas and Washington (13th and 14th place respectively) accompany them on today's 18 holes of "stroke" play. 

Good luck extended from all of us at Cardinal Couple to these student-athletes! It's in the cup! 



WNBA OPENING WEEKEND AND THE LOUISVILLE THREE

The WNBA opened their season over the weekend and three UofL WBB stars were part of the actions. 

-- The Washington Mystics start the season perfect with a 82-75 win over the Indiana Fever. Myisha Hines-Allen saw 11 minutes of court-time in a reserve role and ended up with six points on 3-5 shooting. She also grabbed two rebounds. 

-- Angel McCoughtry's Atlanta Dream didn't fare so well against the Dallas Wings. They were on the short end of a 101-78 final score. Angel started the game and got in 24 minutes. She tallied 13 points on 6-13 shooting that included a three. She also gathered three rebounds in the loss. 

-- In Uncasville, CT...the Las Vegas Aces were blinded by the Connecticut Sun 101-65. Shoni Schimmel came off the bench for 8 minutes and got off two shots, one a "three", but ended up with no points and no assists. 

Everyone have a marvelous Monday and join me in celebrating Victoria Day (in Canada). If you know a "Victoria"...or I guess Vicki or maybe even a Vic would suffice here, wish them a "Happy Day" and then wait for the blank look you get back. The only Vic's I can come up with are former UofL Field Hockey star Vic Stratton, ex-Dallas actress Victoria Principal and the Victoria's Secret shoppes. 

Victoria Day actually celebrates the birth-date of Queen Victoria, who passed away in 1901 and was actually born on the 24th of May. The holiday is traditionally moved to the closest Monday each year. 

And, now you know. 


paulie
xxxxx

Golf and Baseball Result - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Golf Leaderboard

After two days of play, Louisville Women's Golf sits in 10th place of the preliminary rounds.  The initial winnowing of the field, which will happen after today's action, will take the top 15 teams on for another day of play.  The top 9 individuals not on advancing teams will advance as well.

Molly Skapik had a good day of golf, leading the Cards in the clubhouse with a 1 under par for the day, for a total 3 over for her two days.  Lauren Hartlage stuggled through much of the teeing off on 18 for +5, but hopefully pulled herself out of the doldrums with the eagle that she got on the last hole of the day.  While the other members of the team, Delaney Shah, Olivia Cason, and Kristin Engle all ended up back in the clubhouse with +5s for the day.

Again, the consistency across the team is serving the Cards well, putting them in solid position to be able to advance to at least another day of play on Monday with a solid round today.  The squad will also be looking to put themselves in the best possible position to advance beyond Monday's play.  They will need to at least maintain the status quo to do so as a team, as the top 10 teams advance beyond Monday.

Baseball Rounds Out the Season With a Win

Louisville Baseball has Notre Dame's number, winning the last 16 meetings between the teams, but
sometimes the wins are a bit nerve-wracking.  Yesterday's come from behind win wasn't the soothing romp we would've like it to be, but the Cards got the job done, finally taking the lead in the bottom of the 8th with 4 runs in the frame for the 10-7 win.

The Cards were powered largely by Josh Stowers, with 2 touch-em-alls in the game with 6 RBIs, including a 3-run shot in the bottom of the 8th.

The win to close out the season lands UofL in the 5th "seed" for the ACC tournament, putting them in the D pool with #4 Duke and #9 Wake Forest.  The Cards will have to win both games in the pool play to advance to the four team single-elimination bracket for the championship.

The other accomplishment with the finale game win was to reach 40 wins on the season for the Dan McDonnell squad.  That is now 7 consecutive seasons with 40 wins, and for the last 6 of those, they reached the mark during the regular season.

The Diamond Dwellers will not just be looking to advance from pool play in order to win the ACC championship, there will also be an eye towards their rankings as they have made a late season run up the ladder.  If they can, with potentially 4 games in the ACC tournament, climb to the Top 16 vicinity (they're currently 25th ranked, so this is a long-shot), they then stand a chance to host a Regional in the NCAA tournament.

A Moment of Commentary

Who, on earth, could possibly think this ACC Baseball tournament format is a good one?  First you have a pool play format that results in many of the 2nd games for teams being played with no mathematical chance of advancing.  You have to go 2-0 in pool play to advance, unless you're the top seeded team in the pool, in which case you can potentially drop one of the games.

OK, I'm not a huge baseball fan, in general, but I enjoy following Dan McDonnell's squad late in the season after other UofL Athletics have wrapped up...and then every year, this monstrosity of a tournament format is foisted upon us.

Ultimately, this is a week that I have to figuratively grit my teeth and get through, to get to the more sane NCAA tournament format.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

 The four knuckleheads were all re-united in the studio for the first time in...months?  Merriment was
had, and I think we even managed to convey some useful information for those listening.

A special "Thanks!" to Arica Carter for the interview with us.

Check out the fun with the Facebook Live video at https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/2038248432865096/

--
JMcA

Golf Begins Championship -- Softball Awards -- Track and Field to Prelims -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Women's Golf Begins NCAA Championship Play Today

The big day has arrived and the Louisville women's golf team begins their first day of NCAA Championship play in Stillwater, Okla.  UofL is one of 24 schools competing for the trophy and is the sixth-lowest ranked team in the bunch.

The three-day first round event begins bright and early at 8:30 a.m., with the Cards teeing off precisely at 9:36 a.m., with the top 15 advancing to Monday.  Molly Skapik, Olivia Cason, Delaney Shah, Lauren Hartlage, and Kristin Engle will suit up for the Red and Black.

This is Louisville's second trip to the NCAA Championships.

The entire field (NCAA ranking) is listed below:

1. Alabama
2. Arkansas
3. UCLA
4. Duke
5. Stanford
6. USC
7. Furman
8. Texas
9. Arizona
10. Arizona State
12. Florida
13. Northwestern
15. Washington
16. Kent State
18. Wake Forest
19. Auburn
20. Oklahoma
21. Florida State
25. LOUISVILLE
26. Baylor
27. Virginia
28. Colorado
34. Ole Miss
38. Ohio State

*All times are EST

Ferguson and Hensley Earn Regional Honors

Megan Hensley continues to rake in awards.  She is joined by teammate Caitlin Ferguson in earning National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Southeast Region Honors.  Ferguson was named to the second team while Hensley made the third team.

Ferguson was named as a utility player after playing third base, shortstop, first base, and right field this year.  She finished with a .317 batting average, 40 RBIs, four home runs, 10 doubles, and scored 31 times.

Hensley has broken into Louisville's career Top Ten in several categories as a junior: RBIs (batting), home runs (batting), wins (pitching), saves (pitching), appearances (pitching), innings pitched (pitching), strikeouts (pitching), and complete games (pitching).


Track and Field Sends 23 to Prelims

Louisville is sending 23 athletes to compete in 24 categories in the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Rounds hosted by the University of South Florida from May 24-26.  The Cards will compete for a chance to head to the NCAA Championships held in Eugene, Ore. from June 6-9.

The women sent 11 athletes to compete in 12 events while the men sent 11 to compete in 11 events with a 12th competing in the decathlon, which is an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships.  Makenli Forrest is the only Cardinal competing in multiple events- the hammer throw and discus throw.

Other News and Notes

Louisville baseball won in walk-off fashion against Notre Dame last night 5-4.  Game two of the series has been moved up to 2:00 p.m., today with the series finale set to begin Saturday at 1:00 p.m., shortly after the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour concludes.  I know they aren't a women's sport, but they are the last UofL team still playing at home.

The most hated woman in Louisville, Katina Powell, found herself in some trouble and is headed behind bars.  After causing the men's basketball team quite a bit of pain and stress it appears karma has caught up to her.

The Spring Cleaning Yard Sale hosted by Louisville Athletics is tomorrow from 9:00-2:00 on the south side of the football stadium up against Central Ave.  This giant tent sale is a great place to get all of that expensive Adidas Louisville gear for a fraction of the price.

Happy NASCAR Day, Bike to Work Day, and Pizza Party Day, Endangered Species Day!

You should be able to catch the entire "A-Team" in the studio tomorrow.  Between my Saturday banking and Case's injury and studying it seems as if we all haven't been together since shortly after Christmas.  Tune in to see what us four knuckleheads will be up to.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

Louisville Women's Golf 10th in NCAA Regional -- Becker Player of Week -- More A-Tayy...WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SKAPIC TIED FOR NINTH

Molly Skapic fired a two-under-par 70 and the Louisville women's golf team moved into a tie for 10th place in the NCAA Columbus Regional after two days on the Ohio State Golf Club in Columbus, OH. Her round also put her in to a tie for ninth place in individual competition. 

Florida leads the regional with a total of 590. In second is the home team Ohio State at 591. ACC member Florida State rounds out the top three at 597. The Cards two-day total is 614 (314-300)...is tied with San Jose St. for 10th. 


Skapic sits at 147 (77-70) after 36 holes. Olivia Cason follows for UofL at 153. Freshman Lauren Hartlage recorded a 155 through the two rounds...with Meghan Nay (159) and Jacqueline Twitty (169) rounding out the Cards' contingent in Columbus.  

The top six teams from the four regional sites and top three individuals (not on qualifying teams) advance to the 24 team NCAA Championships, which will be held May 19-24 on the Rich Harvest Farms course in Sugar Grove, IL. 

The way it looks going into the final round... the Cards would need to produce a total of 290 or lower to ascend into the top six group. The top four scores of the squad account for the day's total.  Four girls shooting par (72) would do the trick. 

Hit 'em straight and long and sink those putts, Cardinal Chippers! 


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BECKER ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR SOFTBALL

Getting it done in the circle and the batters box...Maryssa Becker has been named the ACC Player of the Week in the final week of conference play. 

The Medford, OR. senior went 7-12 in the three game sweep of the NC State Wolfpack and had a phenomenal slugging percentage of .917.  She had four doubles in the series and also produced two wins in the the pitching circle for the Cards. 

Louisville sweep propelled them into second place in the ACC Conference standings and they'll begin their quest to capture the ACC Tournament against NC State on Thursday at 5 p.m. in Chapel Hill, NC at UNC's Anderson Stadium.

(We're pretty sure it's not owned by CC favorite Jared Anderson...but I guess you never really know.) 

The Cards (31-18, 14-8) won five out of their six final regular season games and were competitive against #1 seed FSU...playing them to within one run twice when the 'Noles visited Ulmer Stadium. 

An amazing end to the regular season for Sandy Pearsall's Hit and Pitch Cards. An infield that was basically patchwork at one time came together to be effective. Losing starting shortstop Sidney Melton early in the year to an ACL injury, Pearsall pressed true freshman Caitlin Ferguson into action and she performed well. A battle for the 'hot corner' at third eventually evolved into catcher Alison "Mike" Szydlowski nailing down the job and getting work done. Jamie Soles won the competition for second base and gave Louisville a steady glove at the spot. Oft-injured Tiarra Sanabria came back and had a healthy, productive year at first base....along with a powerful bat.  

The outfield provided stability...with Nicole Pufahl, Jordan McNary and Morgan Meyer becoming not only accurate fielders but leading hitters. Jenna Jordan locked down the catcher spot and Becker and Megan Hensley were brilliant at times in the circle and two of the top hitters on the squad. 

The "next season" starts Thursday. Let's hope the team that finished the "first" season so well can remain hot, focused and take the Cards through the ACC and NCAA Championships on a winning note. 


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THEY SAID IT

I ran across this great interview with Cardinal and Washington Mystics' Asia Taylor that was recorded while she was playing for the Sydney Flames in Australia's WNBL. Enjoy! 

ASIA TAYLOR TALKS HOOPS

Yesterday, Washington cut Mehryn Kraker, Ally Malott, Ashley Morrissette and Caira Washington...so it looks like Asia's dream of making the Mystics is almost a reality now. With the reduction, the Mystics now have 13 players left on the roster....four of them listed as forwards, forward-center or forward-guard. Hang on, A-Tayy!!!!


paulie
xxxxx

Women's Golf tied for second after 36 holes at Minnesota Invitational -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS ONE STROKE BACK FROM LEAD

( UPDATE...The final 18 holes have been completed and the Cards slipped to seventh overall. Furman won the invitational. Molly Skapic led Louisville on the final day with a 73. )

Lauren Hartlage fired a one-over par 145 after 36 holes to pace the UofL Women's golf team to a tie for second place in the three-day Minnesota Invitational. The freshman from Elizabethtown, KY had a 71 opening day and followed it up with 74 Monday. She is tied for sixth place individually. Sophomore Jacqueline Twitty is tied for eighth...one stroke back with a 146 after two days. 

Louisville is tied for second with Purdue at 491 and just one stroke back of Texas as the teams go into the final 18 holes today. 

Senior Louise Oxner and junior Molly Skapic have 151 totals after the 36 holes. Another freshman...Delaney Shah, competing as an individual...her scores not counting towards the team total has also been impressive with a 36 hole total of 149...tied for 17th. 

11 teams are competing in the event at the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, MN...TCU is three strokes back from the Cards and Kentucky is in fifth with a two-day total of 496...tied with Furman for fifth. 

Be sure to follow the UofL women's Golf team on Twitter for results throughout the day
at @UofLWGolf


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FIELD HOCKEY GETTING NATIONAL ATTENTION

We think Mink is a fab frosh!  

Ranked #6 in the nation...after the poll that came out today... Louisville Field Hockey squad is lighting up the NCAA DI statistics as well. 

Freshman Minout Mink is tied for eighth in the nation with 1.33 goals per game. She's scored eight times for the Cards in six games. She's the only freshman in the top ten nationally. Erin McCrudden is tied for second in the nation with 1.33 assists per game. The Cards are tied for fourth in the nation in scoring per game with 4.64 goals per contest and leads the nation in margin of victory at 4.14 per match.  

Sophomore goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran leads the nation in save percentage at .857. She has 12 saves and just two goals allowed. 

The Cards are one of nine teams still undefeated on the year (stats are through 9/11). Three other ACC squads (Duke, Syracuse and North Carolina) have unblemished marks also. 

The Cards face #2 Duke on Friday evening in Trager Stadium at 6 p.m. The ACC is VERY strong this year with #1 ranked Syracuse, #2 Duke, #3 UNC and #6 Louisville. When you consider that Virginia, Boston College and Wake Forest are in the top 20 also...the Cards have their work cut out for them ahead. 

Admission is free to all UofL Field Hockey events...concessions and beverages are available and the weather looks pretty decent for Friday evening...with only a 10% chance of rain. Why not roll out for this one? 

paulie
xxxxx

Tuesday Cardinal Couple - Summer Golf

Golf Summer Fun

I really can't claim to be much of a fan of the sport of golf in general, but, our Cardinal Club swingers are out there representing the University this summer with several competing in the WWGA National Amateur Championship in Nashville, TN.

The tournament format consists of 36-holes of stroke play to qualify for a match play tournament to determine the champion.

Five Cardinals advanced to match play, Molly Skapnik (rising sophomore), Shannon Gramley (rising Junior), and three incoming freshmen, Lexie Long, Meredith Moir, and Meghan Nay.  Skapnik, Gramley and Long all advanced to the championship flight in match play, while Moir played in the 4th flight, and Nay in the 6th flight.

While Lexie Long lost in the first round of match play in the championship flight, Skapnik beat Gramley in the quarterfinals to advance to the semis before being eliminated.

There will be plenty of other golf events throughout the summer, so maybe I won't have to Google some of these golf terms for future articles.

JMcA

Tuesday Cardinal Couple

Golf in Second in Miami

Some familiar names leading the Cardinals club swingers into second place at the Hurricane Invitational in Miami, FL.  Senior Emily Haas and junior Katie Mitchell ended the day tied for fifth with 1-under par on the individual leaderboard, but the Cardinals continue to play consistently across the whole team resulting in a second place team score at the end of the first day of play.

With an even par 71, junior Laura Restrepo lands in 11th place in the individual scoring, and senior Katie Petrino finished with a 1 over which is good for 21st position on the leaderboard.

Molly Skapik, a freshman, will start play off tomorrow for the Cards at 7:30am, and starts from 30th position and a 3-over par.

We wish the Cardinal club swingers well, and hope they bring some of the warm weather back with them to the Derby City.  The Hurricane Invitational is a three day event, wrapping up Wednesday.

Speaking of Wednesday...and Weather

The Louisville Lacrosse game Wednesday afternoon against Duquesne has been moved forward to a one eleven o'clock start from the original start time of 3pm at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium.

The change in start time is in anticipation of unpleasant weather for Wednesday which is forecast to be a pretty disgusting mix of rain, sleet, snow, and probably just about every other type of precipitation that none of us really wants to deal with at this point in the winter.  Switching over to just snow after about two or three o'clock.

About the only weather condition that will cancel a game

for Lacrosse would be if there we enough accumulation of snow that the field couldn't be cleared, and that doesn't look to be the case.  For safety reasons, I imagine a temporary stoppage would happen for lightning, but that also doesn't look to be a factor on Wed.

The forecast for Saturday, however, doesn't look too awful...sunny and a high of 46...for the next home game, against William and Mary.  That will be a bit chilly to be sitting on open bleachers, but at least it should be dry and sunny to warm spectators a bit.

jmca

MARCH CONTEST...GET THOSE PICKS IN !

Our March Contest gives you the chance to win a $25 Gift Card to Cracker Barrel and an absolutely fabulous Cardinal Couple T-Shirt! Give us who you think will play in the finals of the ACC WBB Tournament, who will win and how many total points will be scored. If you have the
winning entry...you win the gift card and the T-Shirt!!!

We've got a March Contest you can enter...pick the two teams who will play for the ACC Tournament Championship and total points scored. 

Sonja says:  Louisville beats Notre Dame and 123 total points are scored.

Leave your picks in the comments sections leading up to Wednesday or e-mail them to cardinalcouple@twc.com

WE got a CC T-Shirt and a $25 gift card from Cracker Barrel waiting for the winner.