Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 1, 1995                   TAG: 9506010074
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FERRUM GOLFERS MOST IMPROVED

The Wilson/GCAA Most Improved Team award went to a Panthers squad that finished 13th in its first appearance in the Division III championships. Ferrum, which finished fifth in District III, was one of two at-large teams selected to the national tournament. Coached by Ray Corron, the Panthers were seeded last in the 23-team field but shot the fifth-lowest round (308) on the final day.

The Panthers won two tournaments this year - the Virginia Intercollegiate State Championships in April and the West Virginia Wesleyan Invitational last fall - and posted a pair of second- and third-place finishes.

Team members included Aaron Johnson of Roanoke, Matt Jordan, R.J. Weaver, Brant Ruskin and Eduardo Alvarez.

In other sports in the region:

VMI basketball player Bobby Prince, Virginia Tech basketball player Christi Osborne, Washington and Lee baseball player Graig Fantuzzi and Virginia women's basketball player Jenny Boucek topped the Virginia Sports Information Directors Academic All-State first team.

The second team featured Virginia Tech volleyball player Amanda Yelsh and W&L volleyball player Elizabeth Bahn. The third team included volleyball players Anne Fontaine of Radford and Cindy Jansco of Ferrum.

Virginia's Jimmy Flippen shot a 7-over-par 79 in the opening round of the NCAA Division I men's golf championships in Columbus, Ohio.

Auburn's Chip Spratlin shot a 67 to lead the individual competition. Arizona State shot 288 to grab a one-stroke advantage over Stanford, Florida State and Texas through the first round of the 72-hole tournament on the 7,109-yard Scarlet Course at Ohio State.