Long Beach State University Athletics
Golfweek college preview, No. 59: Long Beach State women
7/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
July 16, 2011
Click on link for Golfweek's complete coverage:
http://www.golfweek.com/news/2011/jul/15/college-preview-complete-coverage/
By Asher Wildman (Twitter @GolfweekWildman)
Golfweek
Believe it or not, the start of another college golf season is just a few short weeks away. Asher Wildman will take the next 60 days to break down the top 60 teams for both the men and women. Today, we hit No. 59 on the board with the Long Beach State women.
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LONG BEACH STATE WOMEN
2010-11 final ranking: 59
Coach: Joey Cerulle (third year)
Top returnees: Simone Hoey, Monica Villarreal, Noelle Zavaleta
Top newcomers: Freshman Ashley Greer (redshirted last year); freshman Monica Umpant of Cerritos, Calif.; freshman Bow-Kay Salotti of Palm Desert, Calif.; freshman Chaewon Park of Torrance, Calif. (two state titles at Torrance High School).
Projected starting 5: Simone Hoey (jr.) Monica Villarreal (sr.), Noelle Zavaleta (sr.), Rochelle Chan (so.), No. 5 spot TBD.
Key losses: Reina Rogers and Lindsey McAtee
Key fall tournament: UNLV Fall Invitational
2010-11 recap: After a solid season in which Long Beach State won the Folino Invitational and posted five other top-5 finishes, the 49ers were left out of postseason play. Despite an overall record of 70-41-2, the NCAA committee decided not to offer the team an at-large bid to NCAA regionals. "I had the whole team in my office with me for the conference call," head coach Joseph Cerulle said. "We waited and waited and finally realized we weren't getting called."
What likely kept Long Beach State from the postseason was its inability to close out tournaments. Before finishing as the runner-up to UC Davis at the Big West Conference Championship, the 49ers had chances to win the Anteater Invitational (fourth) and Pacific Coast Intercollegiate (T-3). For most of the year, the team performed well for 36 holes, but had problems in the final round.
Player to watch: Noelle Zavaleta. "She finished runner-up at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate and then (at) the Long Beach Women's City Amateur this summer," Cerulle said. "She is playing with a purpose now, and is ready to show the talent that is there."
2011-12 preview: Long Beach State will enter the season with a chip on its shoulder. The 49ers may be the one bubble team from a year ago with the most reason to be upset about being left out of the postseason. However, that was last year and the 49ers need to move on.
Coach Cerulle has a core of four returnees that give him confidence for the upcoming season. "They are hungry and have yet to get to regionals," Cerulle said. "This is a focused group with a lot of experience that will allow me to work with the freshman so we can get stronger."
Competing for the fifth spot in the lineup will be redshirt freshman Ashley Greer, who may have a slight upper hand over incoming freshmen Monica Umpant, Bow-Kay Salotti and Chaewon Park.
For Long Beach State to reach the postseason this year, Simone Hoey and Monica Villarreal - the 49ers' top two players - must step it up against better competition. The pair was a combined 0-42 against players ranked in the top 50 and 8-76 against players ranked in the top 100.
Entering the season, a Big West Championship and automatic NCAA berth is a realistic goal. This year's team doesn't want its fate decided by anyone but themselves.
"With the four girls returning from a year ago, and the three freshman coming in, we will compete for a conference title," Cerulle said. "Not only is making it to regionals a goal, but I think making our way to nationals is realistic."
Bottom line: One step at a time, coach. But the 49ers definitely have the experience and talent to make up for last year's disappointment and earn a postseason bid, one way or another.
Players Mentioned
