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UNM Women's Golf Set To Make 13th National Championship Appearance
19th-ranked Lobos reach the championship for the first time since 2004
May 18, 2007
UNM Women's Golf Post Season Media Guide in PDF Format
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- The 19th-ranked New Mexico women's golf team will compete in its 13th National Championship on May 22-25. The Lobos finished eighth at the West Regional to qualify and continue a strong tradition of excellence at UNM. The Lobos join a field of 24 teams that will compete in the 72 hole event at the LPGA International Golf Course in Daytona Beach, Fla. UNM has finished in the top 10 on five occasions with Caroline Keggi claiming the school's only individual title in 1987. The Lobos are making their first appearance since the 2004 season, where they tied for 15th. The Field (24 teams): East Region Qualifiers: Duke, UCLA, Wake Forest, Auburn, Purdue, North Carolina, Alabama, Louisville Central Region Qualifiers: Southern California, Georgia, TCU, Indiana, Arizona, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Michigan State West Region Qualifiers: Oklahoma State, Stanford, Arizona State, Denver, BYU, UC Irvine, Pepperdine, New Mexico Tournament Format: 18 holes will be played each day. All participants will compete throughout the entire 72 holes of competition. Results/Media Coverage: Results and live scoring from the 2007 NCAA Women's Golf Championships can be obtained at www.GolftStat.com. A full Lobo recap and results of each round will be posted at www.GoLobos.com. The Course: The Champions Course, designed by Rees Jones, marks the first time in the history of golf that a course was designed specifically for professional women golfers. With five sets of tee markers, the par-72, Scottish-links style course can be played from 5,131 yards to 7,088 yards and features rolling mounds, large greens and very few trees. Interspersed throughout the course are tranquil marsh areas and nature preserves, along with strategically placed water hazards. Since it opened in July 1994, the Champions Course has received many awards, including GOLF Magazine's "Top Ten You Can Play" public access courses and Golf for Women magazine's "America's Most Women Friendly Course" Blue skies, pristine fairways, glistening water, challenging mounds, graceful egrets, undulating greens, resting alligators and white sand bunkers combine to create a truly enjoyable test of the game at all levels of play. Play where champions of the LPGA play and make history. New Mexico In The NCAA Championships: -- Number of appearances: 13 (1982, `83, `84, `85, `87, `88, `93, `95, `96, `98, 2001, 2004, 2007) -- Top finish: 6th (1985) -- Top-10 finishes: Five (1982 - 8th; 1984 - 8th; 1985 - 6th; 1987 - 7th; 1998 - T8th) -- Lowest score: 1199 (1998) -- Top individual finish: Caroline Keggi, 1st, 1987 UNM Returns To NCAA National Championship: New Mexico women's golf returns to the national championship after taking a two-year hiatus. The Lobos earned their last trip to the NCAA National Championship in 2004 after placing seventh at the Central Regional. The event was hosted by Illinois State on the ISU Golf Course in Normal, Ill. The Lobos made their 12th appearance in the national championship and finished in top 20. NCAAs At UNM in 2008: The NCAA announced that the 2008 Division I Women's Golf Championships will be played at The Championship Course. The event, scheduled for May 20-23, 2008, marks the fifth time that the NCAA Championships will be held in Albuquerque. The UNM Championship Course, which was recently named one of the top 10 collegiate courses in the nation by Golfweek magazine, is no stranger to major tournaments. It was the site of the 1976, 1992 and 1998 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships as well as the 1991, 1995 and 2002 NCAA West Regionals. In 1987, the course hosted the NCAA Women's Championships, and was also the site of the 1994 NCAA Women's West Regional. The home course advantage helped the Lobos in 1987, as Caroline Keggi claimed UNM's only individual national title in golf. NCAA Events at the Championship Course 1976 Men's NCAA Championships 1987 Women's NCAA Championships 1991 Men's NCAA West Regional 1992 Men's NCAA Championships 1994 Women's NCAA West Regional 1995 Men's NCAA West Regional 1998 Men's NCAA Championships 2002 Men's NCAA West Regional Ewart Ranked Among Nations Best: Freshman Jodi Ewart is currently the 19th ranked player in the women's college game according to Golfweek. Ewart leads the Mountain West Conference with a 72.93 scoring average through 30 rounds. Ewart has played in every tournament this year and is coming off a win at the MWC Championship and a tie for seventh in the West Regional. In 10 events for UNM, Ewart has cracked the top-10 six times. Ewart Chasing Records: Freshman Jodi Ewart is having a historic season and is chasing the freshman scoring record at New Mexico. Ewart enters the final competition with a 72.93 average and is just under the mark of 73.40 set by current Lobo Mikaela Backstedt last year. Ewart ranks 19th among the nations top golfers. Ewart Claims Conference Honors: Jodi Ewart captured the individual Mountain West Conference title on April 21 and was named Co-Player of the Year. The freshman from England has dominated with six top 10 finishes, including a tie for seventh on May 12 at the Central Regional. Ewart was also named Freshman of the Year in the MWC. Youthful Roster: New Mexico only has two upperclassmen in the lineup for the national championship but is loaded with talent and experience. Juniors Alexandra Phelps and Giselle Claux are mature golfers and have the ability to compete on the national level. Sophomores Mikaela Backstedt and Py Bengtsson are coming off excellent freshmen campaigns and have a lot international experience. Both were All-Mountain West Conference selections last year, with Backstedt winning the freshman of the year award. Lobos Claim Back-to-Back Freshman of the Year Awards: UNM has won the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year award in back-to-back seasons after Jodi Ewart took home the trophy on April 21 in St. George, Utah. Backstedt earned the honor in 2006 after setting the freshman record at UNM and tying for the individual title at the MWC Championship. Jill Trujillo Named Interim Head Coach: Former Lobo and assistant coach Jill Trujillo was promoted to the interim head coach and will finish out the year. Trujillo takes over a nationally respected program and helped guide UNM to its 15th straight NCAA appearance and 13th National Championship appearance. Trujillo, takes over her alma mater after spending the previous three years as an assistant under former head coach Jackie Booth. National Rankings: UNM enters the championship nationally-ranked 19th according to Golfweek. The Lobos have been ranked in the top 20 throughout the year and have finished in the top 5 in five events. UNM has consistently ranked among the nation's best throughout the history of the program and this year is no different. Freshman Jodi Ewart has led the Lobos in every tournament and is ranked 19th individually. Lobo Lineup: The UNM fivesome will consist of the following student-athletes (stroke average in parentheses): Alexandra Phelps (77.48), Giselle Claux (76.17), Mikaela Backstedt (75.86), Py Bengtsson (76.53), Jodi Ewart (72.93)
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