CONTACT: Justin Parker (210) 999-8447 or James Hill (210) 999-7819
Friday, August 8, 2006

TRINITY UNIVERSITY GOLF RECEIVES HIGH RANKINGS

SAN ANTONIO – Golf Digest, one of the sport’s leading publications, has recognized the Trinity University Tigers men’s and women’s golf teams in the top-five nationally in its collegiate “academic first” rankings.

The Tiger men (84.597 points) are ranked No. 2 in the nation, right behind Princeton (85.290), and the women’s squad is fifth (78.092), a close distance from Harvard (80.476). In the men’s rankings, Trinity was immediately ahead of Yale, Linfield (Ore.) and Pennsylvania. The Tiger women led Pennsylvania and Amherst. According to Golf Digest’s Division III “golf first” rankings, Trinity’s men are ninth with 65.445 points.

Golf Digest used a number of factors in the rankings, including an overall score from U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges. U.S. News & World Report ranked Trinity No.1 for the 14th consecutive year among colleges and universities offering a full range of undergraduate and select master’s level programs in the Western part of the United States. Also included in the golf magazine’s rankings were team adjusted scoring average, player improvement, coaching and facilities and the area climate.

Carla Spenkoch is in her ninth season as Trinity’s men’s golf coach. She took the 2003 Trinity team to its first NCAA Division III Championship tournament since 1975. Coach Spenkoch, who has also coached two All-Americans, led the Tigers to the 2005 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship. She is a teaching professional at the Quarry Golf Club in San Antonio and was voted the 1997 Favorite Golf Teacher by Golf for Women.  A team captain for the University of Texas Lady Longhorns in 1975 and 1976, Coach Spenkoch is a Class A member of the LPGA Teaching and Club Division.

Therese Bass has coached the Tiger women to SCAC runner-up finishes for two of the past three years.

Two Tiger women were named to the National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team. Juniors Allison Bird of Farmington, N.M., and Michelle McCullough of Scottsdale, Ariz., received the recognition for high academic and athletic standards. McCullough is the daughter of PGA Champions Tour member Mike McCullough.