April 19, 2009–Third place was the theme for UNLV golf on Saturday, with the Rebels placing third overall at the Mountain West Conference championship and sophomore Therese Koelbaek also came in third individually. “I am really proud of the effort we put forth today,” UNLV head coach Missy Ringler said. “They played with a purpose and it showed, and we decided that second or third should be our goal after our opening rounds, which we accomplished.”
The Rebels shot a team score of 920 (306-314-300, +56), which included a tournament-best round of 300 (+17) on the Black Horse course, moving them up into third place after UNLV started the day in fourth. Koelbaek shot a final-round 76 (+4) for a three-round total of 224 (+8), and the sophomore was one of three Rebels who placed in the top 15.
New Mexico claimed the top spot, giving the Lobos’ their second consecutive MWC Women’s Golf Championship title, as TCU (917) finished second, followed by the Rebels. Colorado State was fourth with a score of 921, followed by BYU (938) in fifth, Wyoming (942) in sixth and San Diego State (946) in seventh. Jonelle Martinez of Wyoming took home medalist honors with a three-round total of 221 (+5), good for a two-stroke victory over Britney Choy of New Mexico, who finished second with a score of 223 (+7).
Koelbaek, who was named to the All-Mountain West Conference team for a second-straight season, was joined in the top 10 by freshman Kristen Schelling, who tied for 10th with a score of 231 (79-78-74, +15). Rebel sophomore Alejandra Guacaneme (78-76-76—232, +16) posted her best round of the tournament on Saturday to finish tied for 13th. Natasha Krishna, who joined Koelbaek on the All-MWC team, came in tied for 16th with a total of 233 (77-82-74, +17), and freshman Bethany Glassford (81-83-79—243, +27) finished 29th overall in her first MWC tournament.
“Therese performed well all week and was in contention until the end,” Ringler said. “We are ready to go home and work hard to prepare for a regional in two weeks.” The Rebels will now begin preparing for an NCAA Regional, which will take place May 7-9 at three different sites, and UNLV has made six-straight regional appearances.
Mountain West Awards
Coach of the Year: Angie Hopkins, Colorado StatePlayer of the Year: Jodi Ewart, New MexicoFreshman of the Year: Malin Enarsson, San Diego StateAll-Conference TeamJodi Ewart, New MexicoTherese Koelbaek, UNLVNatasha Krishna, UNLVMalin Enarsson, San Diego StateValentine Derrey, TCURachel Raastad, TCUKasey Claussen, Colorado StatePrisela Campbell, TCU
Jonelle Martinez, Wyoming
Report from Bryan Haines, UNLV Sports Information