July 23, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Sydney Crane, a rising senior on the University of North Carolina women's golf team, has qualified for the 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur. She fired a 72 at Sapona Country Club in Lexington, N.C. on July 9 to qualify for this year's Amateur which will be played August 4-10 at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore.

Crane also advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2008 Women's North and South Amateir before losing to Ryann O'Toole, a rising senior at UCLA. Crane defeated Dori Carter, a rising senior at Mississippi, and J.C. Stevenson, a rising junior at Nebraska, before losing in the quarterfinals. Former Tar Heel Katie Miller lost in the first round to Whitney Neuhauser, a rising junior at Virginia.

Crane and teammate Lauren Hunt, a rising senior from Little River, S.C., are playing in the Carolinas-Virginias Women's Team Matches this week at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C. In the first round two-person captain's choice competition, Crane and Kristin Vincent defeated Kay Tyler and Nicolle Flood-Sawczyszyn 2-1 while Hunt and Lea Anne Brown defeated Boodie McGurn and Misha Harvey 2-1. In the second round four-ball matches, Crane and Vincent defeated Flood-Sawczyszyn and Dot Bolling 2-1 while Hunt and Laura Crawford defeated Jackie Baxter and Fran Hensley 3-0. Entering Wednesday'a final day of four-ball competition, Virginia leads the Carolinas 37 1/2 to 28 1/2.

Also last week, Crane and Ann Laney, a senior on the 2007-08 Tar Heel team, were named to the 2008 All-ACC Academic Women's Golf Team. This was Crane's third consecutive appearance on the squad and Laney's second consecutive appearance. To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during her academic career.