Maria Hernandez and Arizona

University win NCAA titles

Arizona University won the NCAA Division 1 women's team championship for the first time since 1998 and Maria Hernandez (Purdue University) followed in the footsteps of another Spanish player, Azahara Munoz (Arizona University) as winner of the individual title at Caves Valley, Maryland.

With her victory, Hernandez, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, from the Spanish "bull run city" of Pampolona, may have sealed her national player of the year title. She won six times this season including her second Big Ten title. In the final round at Caves Valley, she birdied two of her last three holes to shoot 71 and finish at one-over 289, one shot ahead of Jennifer Song (Souothern California) and two clear of Sweden's Pernila Lindberg (Oklahoma State).

“I don’t think I believe it right now,” Hernandez said. “I knew today that I had to go all out.”

Maria, who has completed her four years at Purdue University, is ranked No 7 on the women's college circuit. She is in the field - as are Pernilla Lindberg, Azahara Munoz, Carlota Ciganda and most of the leading Europeans - for next month's British women's open amateur championship at Royal St David's Golf Club, Harlech in North Wales.

Curtis Cup player Jodi Ewart, after another very good season for New Mexico University, never touched that kind of form in the end-of-season championship.

Jodi, from Catterick, finished joint 39th in the field of 126 with scores of 78, 73, 78 and 75 for 16-over-par 304.

The other English player in the field, the 2007 English girls champion Ellie Givens (Denver University) from Darlington finished joint 63rd on 21-over-par 309 with scores of 73, 80, 80 and 76.

Scotland's Gemma Webster (Ohio State) scored 87, 87, 77 and then an excellent last round of 71 - a fitting way to end her US college golf career - for a total of 322 and 109th place.

LEADING INDIVIDUAL TOTALS

Par 288 (4 x 72)

289 Maria Hernandez (Purdue) 74 72 72 71.

290 Jennifer Song (Southern California) 72 73 71 74.

291 Pernilla Lindberg (Oklahoma State) 74 72 76 69.

293 Amanda Blumenherst (Duke) 75 73 74 71, Azahara Munoz (Arizona State) 78 71 72 72.

294 Nannette Hill (Wake Forest) 72 71 79 782, Calle Nielson (Virginia) 75 76 71 72.

295 Alice Kim (UC Davis) 74 75 70 76, Maria Jose Uribe (UCLA) 75 66 77 77.

296 Lisa McCloskey (Pepperdine) 74 69 78 75.

297 Carlota Ciganda (Arizona State) 74 76 75 72, Stephanie Connelly (UCF) 72 74 75 76, Cindy LaCrosse (Louisville) 76 786 75 70, Stephanie Sherlock (Denver) 70 73 79 75, Jaclyn Sweeney (Arizona State) 76 77 69 75.

Selected totals:

304 Jodi Ewart (New Mexico) 78 73 78 75 (jt 39th).

309 Ellie Givens (Denvere) 73 80 80 76 (jt 63rd).

322 Gemma Webster (Ohio State) 87 87 77 71 (109th).

LEADING TEAM TOTALS

1181 Arizona State.

1190 UCLA.

1191 Southern California.

1199 Oklahoma State.

1206 Denver.

1207 Duke.

1210 North Carolina.

1212 Virginia.

1213 Pepperdine.

24 Teams took part.