FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 1st, 2017
USC (WOMEN), VANDERBILT (MEN) WIN THIRD ANNUAL EAST LAKE CUP
Trojans Rally to Overcome 2-0 Deficit in Championship Match to Win Title
Vanderbilt Defeats Two-Time Defending East Lake Cup Champions, Illinois
Arizona State (Women), Oklahoma (Men) Win Consolation Matches
ATLANTA, Nov. 1, 2017 – The University of Southern California (women) and Vanderbilt University (men) claimed the 2017 East Lake Cup presented by Hewlett Packard Enterprise on Wednesday, closing out their 2017 fall season schedule with a victory to carry momentum into next spring. The Trojans (No. 2 seed) defeated (No. 1) Stanford 3-2 in the championship match, while (No. 1) Vanderbilt defeated two-time defending East Lake Cup champion (No. 3) Illinois.
Despite Stanford jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the championship match, USC rallied to win the final three matches to claim the victory over its Pac-12 counterpart. Robynn Ree (junior) began the charge with a 1up victory over Stanford’s Shannon Aubert, and USC’s Muni He (sophomore) tied up the match, 2-2, with a 3&2 win over Stanford’s Andrea Lee. Divya Manthena (sophomore) – a walk-on – earned the championship-clinching point for the Trojans, taking down Stanford’s Madie Chou 4&2 to give USC its second victory at the East Lake Cup after winning the inaugural event in 2015.
“I knew we were really the underdogs coming in,” USC head coach Andrea Gaston said. “We stepped up at the right moment. I think this was truly a team effort over the past couple days. It means a lot to bring the cup home. It is special to be here. You know, all we can do is continue to shoot for the stars and try to come back again next year.”
In the men’s championship match, Vanderbilt’s Will Gordon (junior) punctuated his superb week with a 2&1 victory in the opening match to get the Commodores on the board. Harrison Ott (freshman) won his match 1up, which allowed sophomore John Augenstein to earn the clinching point with a 4&3 victory over Illinois’ Giovanni Tadiotto.
“This was a thrilling week for our program,” Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “We had a lot of people who got to watch us on national television, and that is what you dream of. We talked about just finishing the fall out the right way. It’s always fun if you finish on a positive note and take some good energy into the offseason.”
CHAMPIONSHIP:
Women’s: (2) Southern California def. (1) Stanford, 3-2
Men’s: (1) Vanderbilt def. (3) Illinois, 4-1
Stanford (1) vs. Southern California (2)
Albane Valenzuela (4&2) Alyaa Abdulghany
Shannon Aubert Robynn Ree (1up)
Ziyi Wang (5&4) Allisen Corpuz
Andrea Lee Muni He (3&2)
Madie Chou Divya Manthena (4&2)
Vanderbilt (1) vs. Illinois (3)
Will Gordon (2&1) Michael Feagles
Harrison Ott (1up) Brendan O’Reilly
Patrick Martin Halved Nick Hardy
John Augenstein (4&3) Giovanni Tadiotto
Theo Humphrey Halved Dylan Meyer
In the men’s consolation match, Oklahoma took down Oregon in a repeat of the NCAA Championship finals earlier this year. The Sooners took four of the five matches, with convincing victories from its pair of juniors, Blane Hale (6&5) and Brad Dalke (5&4).
“I’m proud of all our guys,” Oklahoma head coach Ryan Hybl said. “You know, it’s not just this fall… This has been a phenomenal year. They will continue to grow and develop. Hopefully we can get after it in the spring.”
On the women’s side, Arizona State earned two outright victories from Olivia Mehaffey (sophomore) and Sophia Zeeb (senior) in the first two matches out to earn two of the necessary three points to win the overall match. Roberta Liti (senior) and Linnea Strom (junior) both halved their respective matches to earn a half point each to get the Sun Devils to the necessary three point total to outlast Northwestern.
“It didn’t matter what we were playing for,” Arizona State head coach Missy Farr-Kaye said. “We were going to go out there and play really hard. This is the last day of [our fall season]. We are trying to stave off being a little tired and a little bit burnt out. [We wanted to] give it everything we’ve got and go out on a really good note to end our fall season.”
CONSOLATION:
Women’s: (4) Arizona State def. (3) Northwestern, 3-2
Men’s: (2) Oklahoma def. (4) Oregon, 4-1
Northwestern (3) vs. Arizona State (4)
Stephanie Lau Olivia Mehaffey (3&2)
Sarah Cho Sophia Zeeb (1up)
Janet Mao Halved Roberta Liti
Hannah Kim (3&1) Madison Kerley
Brooke Riley Halved Linnea Strom
Oklahoma (2) vs. Oregon (4)
Garett Reband (2&1) Ryan Gronlund
Riley Casey (3&2) Edwin Yi
Blaine Hale (6&5) Norman Xiong
Brad Dalke (5&4) Donald Kay
Grant Hirschman Thomas Mulligan (5&4)
Presented by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), the East Lake Cup Collegiate Match Play Championship is a three-day competition that features the eight semifinalists – including reigning NCAA national champion Oklahoma (men) and Arizona State (women) – reconvening at historic East Lake Golf Club.
For more information about the East Lake Cup, please visit the tournament website www.golfchannel.com/eastlakecup. Stay connected with the championship using the hashtag #EastLakeCup.
-NBC Sports Group-
