Tide?s Sorenson Finally Gets Shot at NCAA Championships
5/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
After qualifying for the NCAA Championship for just the second time in school history, we would like to introduce you to the team that has put itself in the record books as one of the best ever at Alabama. These five players, under a brand new head coach, came from nowhere to shock the field in Greensboro, N.C. at last weekend’s NCAA regional with an eighth place finish. The finale was highlighted with a dramatic sudden-death playoff against Virginia for the last spot in the 2006 NCAA Championship, with the Tide prevailing by a single stroke. We will introduce you to each of the five players that will compete for the national championship next week, May 23-26, in Columbus, Ohio.
For Alabama senior Carina Sorenson, next Tuesday’s NCAA Championship appearance has been a long time coming and as one of two seniors on this year’s team, she couldn’t imagine a better way to end her collegiate career.
“I’m excited,” Sorenson said. “This is something I’ve always dreamed of and now I finally have the opportunity in my last year. I’m pumped.”
Through her first three seasons at the Capstone, the Crimson Tide had made just one NCAA Regional appearance. But at last week’s NCAA Regionals in Greensboro, N.C., Sorenson turned in her third-best score of the season (231) and drained a par in a Sudden-Death Playoff to help her team qualify for the NCAA Finals for just the second time in school history. Now, Sorenson and the rest of her teammates have the opportunity to make school history and raise the standard for Alabama’s women’s golf program for future generations.
“I think we’re all excited to get to this point,” Sorenson said. “I didn’t really think that I played that much better last week, but it was a complete team effort. Everyone on this team was determined to advance and seeing everyone else play better made me want to do the same.”
Sorenson grew up playing golf in Sweden at a young age and credits the country’s many youth programs as well as the influence of the nation’s biggest star, Anika Sorenstam, for getting her involved with the sport at early. But when Sorenson arrived at Alabama in the fall of 2002, language and cultural barriers made everyday life a little difficult. With the exception of the time she had with sisters Linda and Anna, who both attended the University of Alabama during her freshman season, the golf course was where she felt most comfortable. However, now those barriers have been torn down and Sorenson will get to share her NCAA experience with one of her best friends and teammate Audrey Gale.
“Carina and I are great friends,” Gale said, “but she’s also a tremendous teammate. She’s easy to get along with and is always a positive influence on us all. She is always waiting for us with words of encouragement.”
As a player who has always looked to deflect any attention to her teammates, Sorenson has been a vital cog in Alabama’s engine this season. She shot an 18-hole low 71 in the second round of this year’s SEC Championships and went on to set a 54-hole personal best of 225. Four of her top six finishes have all come this season, but in typical Sorenson fashion, she gives the credit to someone else. In this case its first-year Alabama head coach Mic Potter. Sorenson says that since Potter’s arrival last spring, he’s helped to provide her with direction and an understanding of what to expect on the golf course.
“Coach Potter has brought a lot of knowledge to the team this year,” Sorenson said. “Every practice is intense. He’s established goals for me and helped me understand what I need to do to improve my game. It’s been great having him around.”
And so next Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio Sorenson will finally reach the first tee at the NCAA Championships, a swing she’s been waiting a long time to make.
