2002 Mountain West Title On The Line
The San Diego State women's golf team returns to the links for what could be the final time in 2001-02 early next week, when the Aztecs travel to Sunriver, Ore., for the 2002 Mountain West Conference Women's Golf Championship. The 54-hole championship will be played on the Meadows Course (par 71, 6,089 yards) at the Sunriver Resort and spans three days with one 18-hole round scheduled for each day. The tournament tees off on Monday, April 22nd with the opening round and concludes with the third and final round on Wednesday, April 24th. The first two rounds will begin at 9 a.m. (PDT), with the final round slated for an 8 a.m. (PDT) start.
The Field
Six of the eight Mountain West Conference schools will send teams to this year's championship, one more than last year. UNLV, in its first year of women's golf, is the newcomer to the field. Air Force and Utah do not sponsor varsity women's golf programs. No. 22 New Mexico is the only team ranked in this week's Golfweek top 50. However, four others - No. 58 BYU, No. 60 Colorado State, No. 65 SDSU, and No. 74 UNLV - are ranked in the poll's top 75. Wyoming is the league's lowest ranked team at No. 148.
Aztecs Against The Field
The Aztecs are a combined 9-10 this season versus the five other Mountain West Schools. San Diego State has faced BYU the most this season, posting a 3-3 mark versus the Cougars. The Aztecs are also 2-0 versus Wyoming, 3-1 against UNLV and 1-4 versus Colorado State. New Mexico is the only conference team SDSU has yet to finish ahead of, placing behind the Lobos in both encounters this season.
A Look Back At The 2001 Championship
San Diego State turned in its best three-round performance of the season, firing a combined 887 and tying for second with Colorado State at the 2001 Mountain West Championship in Sunriver. The second-place finish equaled a school best in women's golf and was the Aztecs' top finish in over a decade. New Mexico finished six strokes ahead of San Diego State to capture the team title. Two Aztecs placed in the top 10 as Jo Clingan (218) and Heather Rollo (222) wrapped up play in fifth and sixth, respectively. New Mexico also claimed the individual medalist as Riley Webb carded a 7-under 209 to finish atop the leaderboard.
Back To The Beaver State
The 2002 MWC Championship at Sunriver will be San Diego State's second trip to the state of Oregon in less than a month. The Aztecs placed 10th at the Oregon Duck Invitational in Lebanon, Ore., March 28-29.
Back Spin: Stuck On 10
San Diego State turned in its sixth 10th-place finish of the year and the second of the week as the Aztecs shot a combined 629 in their regular-season finale at Stanford's Peg Barnard Collegiate, April 8-9. Sandy Kim was SDSU's top finisher for the third time in six spring events, taking 15th with a final score of 7-over 151. No other Aztec was able to crack the top 20 as Heather Rollo (157) and Shayna Miyajima (158) finished 34th and 40th, respectively.
Jankler Expected Back
After missing the last two tournaments with a wrist injury suffered at Oregon, senior Asa Jankler is expected to return to the Aztecs' lineup in time for the conference championship. Jankler, who owns the team's fourth-best stroke average, carded a season-best 12-over 228 to finish 26th at the UCLA Bruin Classic before coming down with the wrist injury at Oregon.
Aztec Chip Shots
Four of the five Aztecs heading to Sunriver - Jennifer Hoene, Asa Jankler, Sandy Kim and Heather Rollo - played in last year's event... Shayna Miyajima, who appeared in seven tournaments as a freshman last year and all nine this season, is the only Aztec without conference tournament experience... Sandy Kim's sophomore stroke average is nearly two shots below her freshman average, dropping from 78.9 to 77.0... Heather Rollo or Sandy Kim have finished as the top Aztec in all six spring tournaments, with each taking SDSU's top spot three times.
Aztec Coaching Staff
San Diego State is led by head coach Neale Stoner and assistant coach Felicia Brown. Stoner coached the Aztec men from 1993-2000, leading SDSU to four NCAA regionals and a national championship appearance. Brown, who played at the University of Arizona and later professionally on the Players West Golf Tour, is in her first season at SDSU.
