Auburn University is participating in the inaugural Love College Hoops … Beat Cancer Week, a fan driven initiative created to support the fight against cancer.

Love College Hoops … Beat Cancer Week is organized by The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), Coaches vs. Cancer, a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

Through Sunday, college basketball fans around the country are encouraged to support cancer awareness by wearing headbands to their home basketball games.

“CLC is excited to work with Coaches vs. Cancer and the National Association of Basketball Coaches for the first-ever Love College Hoops … Beat Cancer Week,” said Kit Walsh, CLC’s Senior Vice President of Marketing. “We look forward to participating in the energy and excitement that are trademarks of college hoops, while also raising awareness and funds for cancer research.”

“College athletics lost a great leader, NCAA President Myles Brand, to cancer in the last year,” said NABC Executive Director Jim Haney. “Anything we might do to heighten awareness, promote research, and raise funds to fight this dreaded disease is worthwhile.”

The official school-specific headband for Love College Hoops … Beat Cancer Week will be made available to retailers by collegiate headwear licensee Top of the World, with a percentage of proceeds being contributed to the American Cancer Society in connection with the Coaches vs. Cancer program.

Colleges and universities across America, as well as several hundred retailers from coast to coast, including Champs Sports, JCPenney, Lids, and AUfanshop.com, are supporting the initiative by offering the official I Love College Hoops headbands to fans.

Women’s golf in 11th at Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz. — The No. 3-ranked Auburn women’s golf team is in 11th place after 18 holes at the Arizona Wildcat Invitational.

The Tigers carded a 24-over-par 308 in the tournament’s opening round and are currently 18 strokes behind first-place Arizona State.

The schedule originally called for 36 holes on Monday, but the second round was cancelled because of inclement weather. The tournament will wrap up with 18 holes today.

“We got off to a bad start and the weather got extreme today,” said Auburn head coach Kim Evans. “We got stuck and could not make a move after that. If you are ever so slightly off the fairway on this course, you are in the desert and it cost us. It is a very hard golf course to get around, a difficult track, and with the weather, that made it even more difficult.”

Instead of playing two rounds Monday, the Tigers are left with only 18 holes today to make up ground and get back in the hunt for the title.

“We would like to have three rounds, because with that you feel like you can move up a few places each day,” said Evans. “But, we have to come out tomorrow and get a solid round in and see where we end up. Hopefully we come out tomorrow and play Auburn golf.”

Hosted by the University of Arizona, the Wildcat Invitational is a stroke play event taking place at the par-71, 6,166-yard Arizona National Golf Club. The two-day event features 10 teams ranked in the GolfWorld top-25 coaches’ poll.

Junior Cydney Clanton, ranked third in the nation according to the GolfWeek/Sagarin index, led the Tigers in the first round with a 3-over-par 74, tying for 13th overall. Pepperdine’s Taylore Karle is the first-round leader with a 3-under-par 68.

Clanton carded three birdies on the day and was at even-par coming down the stretch, but posted a triple-bogey on her next-to-last hole to finish at 3-over.

Right behind Clanton is sophomore Patricia Sanz in a tie for 22nd at 4-over-par 75. Fellow sophomore Haley Wilson finished third on the squad, posting an 8-over 79 in the first round to finish in a tie for 57th.

Rounding out the Auburn lineup was senior Candace Schepperle with a 9-over-par 80 in a tie for 68th and redshirt junior Karlin Beck in 89th with a 17-over 88.

Also competing in the tournament is Auburn freshman Carlie Yadloczky.

She is competing as an individual and finished the first round in a tie for 22nd with a 4-over-par 75.

Four west coast teams sit at the top of the first-round team standings, led by Arizona State with a 6-over-par 290. Stanford is in second with a 9-over 293 with host Arizona in fourth with a 10-over-par 294.

Pepperdine (295) and Duke (296) round out the top five.

Individually, Karle leads with a 3-under 68, followed by Duke’s Allison Whitaker with a 2-under-par 69 and Oklahoma State’s Carolina Hedwall with a 1-under 70. Carlota Ciganda (Arizona State) and Sally Watson (Stanford) round out the top five with even-par 71s.

Action will continue at 9 a.m. today with a shotgun start.