Aside from a bad hole here and a mental mistake there, the UNM women's golf team grabbed a credible 9th-place finish at the elite NCAA Fall Preview last weekend in Opelika, Ala.
Duke University edged out host Auburn University in a playoff for the title. The event featured a field more stacked than a deck of cards at a Friday night game of lawyers' poker - 17 of the 18 teams present are ranked in the Golf Digest preseason top 25.
The 18th-ranked Lobos posted rounds of 310-305-290-905, Sept. 12-14 at the 6,215 yard, par-72 Grand National Lake Course, sight of the 2003-04 NCAA Championship.
Sunday's 2-over-par performance was the day's third-best round, and it gave the Lobos a much-needed shot of confidence, head coach Jackie Booth said.
"It let them know they can play with anyone in the country," she said. "Just our being there gave us a big advantage heading into nationals next spring."
Another advantage will no doubt be freshman Ashley Rollins. In her first college tournament, the Austin, Texas native was cooler than the other side of the pillow, firing 74-75-70-219 to finish tied for 15th.
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"Remarkable," Booth said of her star recruit. "She's just very steady. She hits a lot of fairways and greens, and her short game is awesome. Her future is very bright."
Despite a second-round bout with food poisoning, senior Katrina Leckovic was next best for UNM; tied 45th. Junior Kailin Downs bounced back from a first round 83 to finish tied for 48th.
The three-time defending Mountain West champion Lobos don't have to travel far for their next tournament: The 25th annual Dick McGuire Invitational will be at UNM's Championship Course, Sept. 25-27.
"We've got a roll going with conference, and we figure we might as well keep it going with the McGuire," Booth said.
The Lobos have won the event two years straight and will be favored coming into the tournament.
Men's Golf
Fresh off a near miss at the William H. Tucker Invitational in Albuquerque last week, the men's squad heads to the feared and revered Inverness Country Club in Toledo, Ohio Friday and Saturday for the Inverness Intercollegiate.
With Tucker individual champ Ian Medlock back in the varsity lineup, the Lobos will look to improve one spot over their second-place finish last weekend.
Joining Medlock, a senior, are juniors Jay Reynolds and Madalitso Muthiya, sophomore Jae Choi and freshman Charlie Beljan.
