May 10, 2009–The UNLV women's golf team finished 16th overall at the NCAA West Regional on Saturday, shooting a 54-hole score of 905 (+41) on the ASU Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz. No. 1 Arizona State ran away with the team title with a three-round total of 22-under 842, good for a 19-stroke win over No. 3 USC. ASU had three players finish in the top 10, including medalist Carlota Cignada, who finished the tournament with a 10-under 206, good for a one-stroke victory over Jennifer Song of USC. The season ended for the Lady Rebels as only the top eight schools advanced to the NCAA Finals.
Rebel sophomore Therese Koelbaek posted a total of 225 (76-77-72, +9) to finish tied for 55th, and fellow sophomore Alejandra Gaucaneme recorded a 228 (75-81-72, +12) to finish tied for 66th, and their rounds of par on Saturday were the best rounds of the tournament by a UNLV golfer. Natasha Krishna (75-79-75—229, +13) tied for 71st, Kristen Schelling (80-76-74—230, +24) tied for 74th and Bethany Glassford (73-82-79—234, +18) tied for 85th.
UNLV was part of a field of 21 teams and three individuals that featured eight teams in Golfweek's latest top 25 that besides the host Sun Devils included No. 10 LSU, No. 13 Pepperdine, No. 16 Arkansas, No. 17 San Jose State, No. 20 Arizona and No. 25 Cal. The Rebels were playing in their seventh consecutive regional and their best finish in a regional came in 2004, when UNLV finished second in the East Regional to Duke. Last year the Rebels finished third in the NCAA West Region and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament, the third berth in school history to the national championships.
The top eight teams and top two individuals not on qualifying teams from each regional advanced to the NCAA Championships, scheduled for May 19-22 at the Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland. Report: Bryan Haines, UNLV Sports Information.