Cleary helps Virginia surge to the top of the Ann Arbor Regional leaderboard

    Virginia head coach Ria Scott has sent out a balanced lineup all season with her players taking turns leading the way for the Cavaliers.

   That’s why Virginia came into the Ann Arbor Regional ranked No. 8 by Golfstat and seeded second.

   Tuesday it was sophomore Jennifer Cleary’s turn to made a difference. The former Tower Hill School standout fired a five-birdie, one-bogey 4-under 67 over the 6,265-yard, par-71 U-M Golf Course layout to help Virginia surge to the top of the pack in the team standings.

   Cleary led the way as Virginia posted the best team score of the day, a 3-under 281, which, combined its opening-round 294, gave the Cavaliers a 7-over 575 total and a three-shot lead over No. 5 and top-seeded San Jose State.

   Virginia did earn a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship’s four-team match-play bracket, the Cavaliers falling to eventual champion Wake Forest in the semifinals. After a disappointing end to the season a year ago when Virginia failed to advance out of the Columbus Regional, the Cavaliers clearly hit the reset button with the goal of earning a trip to the NCAA Championship, which returns this spring to Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

   Virginia took a big step toward realizing that goal Tuesday and Cleary led the way. Cleary made birdies at the first, sixth and ninth holes, had the only blemish in her round with a bogey at 12 and followed that up with back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 to get it to 4-under.

   Cleary had opened with a 2-over 73 and her 67 left her in second place in the individual standings with a 2-under 140 total, one shot behind individual leader Natasha Andrea Oon, a San Jose State senior from Malaysia who is No. 10 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Oon added a 2-under 68 to her opening-round 70 for a 3-under 139 total.

   The Mountain West champion Spartans matched par in the second round with a 284 after opening with a 294 as they stood in second place, three shots behind Virginia with a 10-over 578 total.

   Southeastern Conference power Arkansas, ranked 20^th and seeded fourth, had taken the team lead with an opening round of 7-over 291. The Razorbacks matched that total in the second round, leaving them in third place with a 14-over 582 total, four shots behind San Jose State.

   Host Michigan, the Big Ten champion that is ranked 18^th and seeded third, was another 11 shots behind Arkansas in fourth place with a 25-over 593 total after adding a 12-over 300 to its opening-round 293.

   Washington, ranked 43^rd and seeded eighth out of the Pac-12, is on the outside looking in going into Wednesday’s final round as the Huskies struggled to a 17-over 305 after opening with a 293 and were five shots behind Michigan in fifth place with a 30-over 598 total. The top four teams in each of the six regionals will advance to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk later this month.

   Backing up Cleary for Virginia was Amanda Sambach, a talented freshman from Pinehurst, N.C. and No. 85 in the Women’s WAGR who added a 1-under 70 to her opening-round 73 and was among the group tied for fourth place with a 1-over 143 total.

   Beth Lillie, Virginia’s veteran graduate student from Fullerton, Calif. and No. 86 in the Women’s WAGR, gave the Cavaliers a third player inside the top eight as she added a 1-under 70 to her opening-round 75 to join the group tied for eighth place with a 3-over 145 total.

   Celeste Valinho, a junior from Jacksonville, Fla., added a 74 to her opening round of 2-over 73 and was part of the group tied for 17^th place with a 5-over 147 total.

   Riley Smyth, a senior from Cary, N.C., replaced Rebecca Skoler, a sophomore from Needham, Mass., in the Virginia lineup for Tuesday’s second round and registered a 4-over 75.

   Arkansas’ Ela Anacona, a junior from Argentina, had grabbed a share of the lead following an opening round of 2-under 69. Anacona added a 2-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round that left her alone in third place in the individual standings, two shots behind Cleary with an even-par 142 total.

   In the Franklin Regional, Vanderbilt, a dangerous six seed as the host team, carded a sparkling 7-under 281 over the 6,419-yard, par-72 Vanderbilt Legends Club layout in the second round to surge to the top of the leaderboard with a 7-under 569 total.

   The 35^th-ranked Commodores out of the SEC had opened with an even-par 288 on their home course.

   The two teams that had shared the lead following the opening round, perennial SEC power Alabama, ranked ninth and seeded second, and ACC power Duke, ranked 21^st and seeded fourth, held down the next two spots in the team standings.

   The Crimson Tide carded a second straight 1-under 287 and were five shots behind their SEC rival in second place with a 2-under 574 total. The Blue Devils added a 3-over 291 to their opening-round 287 and were four shots behind Alabama in third place with a 2-over 578 total.

   ACC champion Wake Forest, ranked fourth and the No. 1 seed, was a shot behind its conference rival Duke in fourth place with a 3-over 579 total after adding a 1-under 287 to its opening-round 292.

   Another SEC entry, No. 15 Texas A&M, behind individual leader Jennie Park, a junior from Carrollton, Texas, was five shots behind Wake Forest in fifth place with an 8-over 584 total. The Aggies, seeded third, added a 295 to their opening round of 1-over 289.

   Park had the best round of the day, a sizzling 6-under 66, to take a three-shot lead over Alabama’s Polly Mack, a fifth-year player from Germany and No. 49 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Park had opened with a 3-under 69 and her strong second round left her with a 9-under 135 total. Mack had grabbed the lead with an opening round of 7-under 65, but cooled off with a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round and stood at 6-under 138.

   Leading the way for Vanderbilt was Tess Davenport, a junior from Buford, Ga. who was part of a trio of players tied for third place, two shots behind Mack at 4-under 140. Davenport added a 3-under 69 to her opening-round 71.

   Backing up Davenport was Jayna Choi, a junior from Collierville, Texas who was alone in eighth place as she carded a second straight 1-under 71 for an even-par 142 total.

   Auston Kim, a senior from St. Augustine, Fla. who has been a stalwart for the Commodores, added a 1-under 71 in Tuesday’s second round to her opening-round 72 and was part of the group tied for ninth place at 1-over 143.

   Celine Sattelkau, a junior from Germany and No. 67 in the Women’s WAGR, added a 2-under 70 to her opening-round 74 and was in the group tied for 14^th place at even-par 144.

   Rounding out the Vanderbilt lineup was Louise Yu, a fifth-year player from Duluth, Ga. who was in the group tied for 36^th place at 6-over 150 after adding a solid 1-under 71 to her opening-round 79.

   Joining Vanderbilt’s Davenport in the trio tied for third place at 4-under were Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuehn, a junior from Asheville, N.C. and No. 9 in the Women’s WAGR, and Augusta’s Natalia Yoko, a senior from Indonesia.

   Kuehn, who will represent the United States against Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup Match for the second time in nine months next month at Merion Golf Club’s historic East Course, carded a second straight 2-under 70.

   Kuehn won both her matches during Wake Forest’s march to the ACC title last month at The Reserve Golf Club at Pawleys Island on Pawleys Island, S.C.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Yoko carded a solid 4-under 68.

   Duke’s Delaware connection of sophomore Phoebe Brinker, an Archmere Academy product and No. 78 in the Women’s WAGR, and freshman Rylie Heflin, a scholastic teammate of Cleary’s at Tower Hill, were part of a group tied for 20^th place, each landing on 3-over 147.

   Brinker, coming off an impressive individual victory in the ACC Championship at Pawleys Island, added a 2-over 74 to her opening-round 73. Heflin carded a 3-over 75 after matching par in the opening round with a 72.

   In the Tallahassee Regional, host Florida State, another ACC power that is ranked 16^th and seeded third, and Pac-12 power UCLA, are tied atop the team leaderboard heading into the final round at the Seminole Legacy Golf Course.

   UCLA had grabbed the opening-round lead with an even-par 288 over the 6,292-yard, par-72 Seminole Legacy layout and added a 4-over 292 in Tuesday’s second round that left it with a 4-over 580 total.

   Florida State recorded a second straight 2-over 290 to join the Bruins atop the leaderboard at 580.

   UCLA and Florida State were led by their best players as the Bruins’ Emma Spitz, a junior from Austria and No. 7 in the Women’s WAGR, held the individual lead by two shots over Florida State’s Beatrice Wallin, a senior from Sweden and No. 6 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Spitz registered a second straight 2-under 70 that gave her a 4-under 140 total. Wallin had opened with a 3-under 69 and added a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round that left her alone in second place, two shots behind Spitz with a 2-under 142 total.

   Upstart SEC entry Mississippi State, ranked 34^th and seeded sixth, was 13 shots behind the top two teams in third place with a 17-over 593 total as the Bulldogs added a 302 to their opening-round 291.

   Top-seeded SEC power South Carolina, ranked third, was two shots behind Mississippi State in fourth place with a 19-over 595 total as the Gamecocks added an 8-over 296 to their opening-round 299.

   South Carolina will take a seven-shot edge over ACC entry Miami, ranked 19^th and seeded seventh, in the battle for the fourth and final berth to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk. The Hurricanes added a 15-over 303 to their opening-round 299 for a 26-over 302 total.

   Spitz was joined by two fellow Bruins in the top three as Emilie Paltrinieri, a junior from Italy, and Caroline Canales, a freshman from Calabasas, Calif., were part of a quartet of players tied for third place, a shot behind Florida State’s Wallin at 1-under 143.

   Paltrinieri added a 1-under 71 to her opening-round 72 while Canales matched par with a 72 after opening with a 70.

   Zoe Antoinette Campos, a freshman from Valencia, Calif., added a 79 to her opening-round 76 as she ended up in the group tied for 44^th place with a 155 total for the Bruins. Rounding out the UCLA lineup was Alessia Nobilio, a redshirt freshman from Italy and No. 72 in the Women’s WAGR, added a 78 to her opening-round 79 and was in the group tied for 51^st place with a 157 total.

   All five Florida State players were among the top 20 in the individual standings. Backing up Wallin was Cecelie Finne-Ipsen, a senior from Denmark who added a 1-over 73 to her opening-round 72 as she was among the group tied for seventh place at 1-over 145.

   Amelia Williamson, a senior from England and No. 51 in the Women’s WAGR, was a shot behind Finne-Ipsen in a tie for ninth place at 2-over 146 as Williamson matched par with a 72 after opening with a 74.

   Williamson will be teeing it up at Merion next month as a member of the Great Britain & Ireland team for the Curtis Cup Match. She is a repeat selection, having played for GB&I in its 12.5-7.5 loss to the United States last summer at Conwy Golf Club in Caernarvonshire, Wales.

   Alice Hodge, a sophomore from Larchmont, N.Y., added a 2-over 74 to her opening-round 75 and was in the group tied for 15^th place with a 5-over 149 total. Rounding out the Florida State lineup was Charlotte Heath, a sophomore from England and No. 53 in the Women’s WAGR, as she matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72 after opening with a 78 and was among the group tied for 20^th place with a 6-over 150 total.

   Florida Atlantic’s Letizia Bagnoli, a senior from Italy, and Mississippi State’s Ashley Gilliam, a sophomore from Manchester, Tenn., joined UCLA’s Paltrinieri and Canales in the quartet tied for third place at 1-under.

   Bagnoli started her career at Wake Forest and was in the starting lineup for the Demon Deacons in their loss to Duke in the Final Match in the 2019 NCAA Championship at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark. She added a 1-under 71 to her opening-round 72.

   Gilliam had shared the individual lead with Wallin with her opening round of 3-under 69, but cooled off a little with a 2-over 74 in Tuesday’s second round.

   In the Stillwater Regional, the Big 12’s Baylor, with three of its players in the hunt for the individual title, is dominating the team chase.

   The Bears, ranked 17^th and seeded third, carded a 3-under 285 over the 6,303-yard, par-72 Karsten Creek Golf Club layout after opening with a 292 for a 1-over 577 total that gave them a 13-shot lead over Pac-12 power Arizona State.

   Leading the way for Baylor was Gurleen Kaur, a fifth-year player from Houston and No. 59 in the Women’s WAGR who posted a sparkling 5-under 67 to grab a one-shot lead in the individual race with a 2-under 142 total. Kaur had opened with a 3-over 75.

   Two of Kaur’s teammates, Rosie Belsham, a sophomore from England, and Britta Snyder, a sophomore from Ames, Iowa, were among a trio of players tied for second place, a shot behind Kaur at 1-under 143 total.

   Belsham added a 1-under 71 to her opening-round 72 while Snyder, who had grabbed the lead following an opening round of 3-under 69, backed off a little with a 2-over 74.

   Arizona State, which would be playing essentially a home game if it can get to Grayhawk, added a 6-over 294 to is opening-round 296 for a 14-over 590 total that left the Sun Devils alone in second place.

   The ACC’s Clemson continued its solid showing as the Tigers, ranked 31^st and seeded sixth, added a 300 to their opening-round 293 that left them three shots behind Arizona State in third place with a 17-over 593 total.

   Host Oklahoma State, the top seed and ranked sixth, was a shot behind Clemson in fourth place with an 18-over 594 total as the Cowgirls, out of the Big 12, added a 10-over 298 to their opening-round 296.

   Oklahoma State takes a precarious one-shot edge over gritty Big Ten entry Michigan State into Wednesday’s final round in the battle for the fourth and final ticket to Grayhawk. The Spartans, ranked 30^th and seeded fifth, recorded a solid 4-over 292 in Tuesday’s second round after opening with a 303 as they were alone in fifth place with a 19-over 595 total.

   Oklahoma State’s Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, a sophomore from Australia and a veteran of the Cowgirls’ run to the NCAA Championship’s Final Match a year ago, joined the Baylor pair of Belsham and Snyder in the tie for second at 1-under 143. Hinson-Tolchard added a 1-under 71 to her opening-round 72.

   In the Albquerque Regional, Pac-12 champion Oregon just keeps playing great golf. The No. 2 Ducks, the top seed, carded a second straight 4-under 284 over the 6,272-yard, par-72 University of New Mexico Championship Course layout that gave them an eight-shot lead with an 8-under 568 total.

   Leading the way for Oregon was individual leader Briana Chacon, a junior from Whittier, Calif. and No. 98 in the Women’s WAGR who added a solid 3-under 69 to her sizzling opening-round 65 for a 10-under 134 total that left her three shots clear of the field.

   The SEC’s Georgia, ranked 28^th and seeded fifth, put itself in solid position to advance to the NCAA Championship as the Bulldogs matched Oregon’s 4-under 284 in Tuesday’s second round after opening with a 292 and were alone in second place with an even-par 576 total.

   Big 12 champion Texas, ranked 13th and seeded third, was a shot behind Georgia in third place with a 1-over 577 total as the Longhorns added a solid 2-over 290 to their opening-round 287.

   Another Big 12 entry, TCU, ranked 33^rd and seeded sixth, was six shots behind Texas with a tenuous hold on the final berth to nationals with a 7-over 583 total. The Horned Frogs added a 3-over 291 in Tuesday’s second round to their opening-round 292.

   Lurking a shot behind TCU in fifth place was SEC power Florida, ranked 11^th and seeded second, as the Gators added an 8-over 296 to their opening-round 288 for an 8-over 584 total.

   Backing up Chacon for Oregon was Pac-12 individual champion Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu, a sophomore from Taiwan who added a 2-under 70 to her opening-round 71 for a 3-under 141 total that left her in a tie for fourth place in the individual standings.

   Sophie Kebsgaard Nielson, a junior from Denmark, was tied for 18^th place as she recorded a second straight 1-over 73 for a 2-over 146 total.

   The rest of Oregon’s Taiwan connection, junior Ching-Tzu Chen and senior Tzu-Han (Heather) Lin, who is No. 91 in the Women’s WAGR, continued their solid play.

   Chen matched par with a 72 after opening with a 75 as she landed in the group tied for 21^st place with a 3-over 147 total. Lin posted her second straight 3-over 75 and was among the group tied for 33^rd place with a 6-over 150 total.

   Chacon’s closest pursuer in the individual chase was Georgia’s Jenny Bae, a senior from Suwanee, Ga. and No. 89 in the Women’s WAGR who added a 3-under 69 to her opening-round 68 and was three shots out of the lead with a 7-under 137 total.

   Florida’s Marina Escobar, a junior from Spain, was another three shots behind Bae in third place with a 4-under 140 total. Escobar matched par with a 72 after opening with a 68.

   Joining Oregon’s Lu in the tie for fourth place at 141 was TCU’s Sabrina Iqbal, a senior from San Jose, Calif. who cooled off from her opening round of 4-under 68 with a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round.

   In the Stanford Regional, Pac-12 power Southern California, behind individual leader Amari Avery, a freshman phenom from Riverside, Calif., will take a four-shot lead over Pac-12 rival and host Stanford into Wednesday’s final round.

   The Trojans, ranked 12^th and seeded second, carded a sparkling 8-under 276 over the 6,267-yard, par 71 Stanford Golf Course layout after opening with a 280 for a 12-under 556 total.

   Avery, who joined the Southern Cal program in January and has made an immediate impact, added a 4-under 67 to her opening-round 69 for a 6-under 136 total that gave her a two-shot lead over teammate Brianna Navarrosa, a sophomore from San Diego, and LSU’s Carla Tejedo, a sophomore from Spain.

   Stanford, which has held the No.- 1 spot in the Golfstat rankings all season and is the top seed, added a 7-under 277 to its opening-round 283 as the Cardinal were alone in second place with an 8-under 560 total.

   SEC champion LSU, ranked 14^th and seeded third, was three shots behind Stanford in third place with a 5-under 563 total as the Bayou Tigers, who had grabbed the lead with an opening-round 279, matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 284.

   The battle for the fourth and final ticket to Grayhawk is shaping up to be a showdown between perennial Big 10 powers Purdue, ranked 48^th and seeded eighth and Northwestern, ranked 37^th and seeded seventh, as the two teams were tied for fourth place, each landing on 8-over 576, 13 shots behind LSU.

   Navarossa backed up Avery for Southern Cal as she added a solid 3-under 68 to her opening-round 70 for a 4-under 138 total that left her two shots behind Avery in a tie for second place.

   Michaela Morard, a sophomore from Huntsville, Ala. who began her college career at Alabama, matched par in the second round with a 71 after opening with a 70 as she was tied for eighth place with a 1-under 141 total for the Trojans.

   Katherine Muzi, a sophomore from Newport Beach, Calif., was in the group tied for 16^th place with a 2-over 143 total as she added a 1-under 70 to her opening-round 73.

   The entire Southern California lineup was in the top 20 as Cindy Kou, a freshman from China ended up in the group tied for 20^th place at 2-over 144 total. Kou added a 2-over 73 to her opening-round 71.

   LSU’s Tejedo joined Navarossa in the tie for second place as she registered a 3-under 68 in Tuesday’s round after opening with a 70 to get it to 4-under.

   The Stanford pair of freshman Rose Zhang, the No. 1 player in the Women’s WAGR from Irvine, Calif., and Aline Krauter, a senior from Germany and No. 24 in the Women’s WAGR, were tied for fourth place at 3-under 139, a shot behind the pair of Navarossa and Tejedo.

   Zhang added a 1-under 70 to her opening-round 69. Zhang and Southern Cal’s Avery will be teammates on the U.S. Curtis Cup team at Merion next month.

   Krauter matched Avery’s sparkling 4-under 67 in Tuesday’s second round after opening with a 72.