by Travis Weber
Daily Lobo
The UNM women's golf team advanced to the national championships on May 18-21 in Auburn, Alabama, with a seventh-place finish this weekend in the regional tournament in Normal, Illinois.
The Lobos finished 66-over-par - 20 strokes behind champion Vanderbilt, which was just good enough to move on as the top eight teams from all three regions advanced.
"It really didn't matter if we won or not," UNM head coach Jackie Booth said. "Our goal was just to make it to the national championships, and we did that."
After day one, the Lobos found themselves in a tie for the lead with Vanderbilt. That quickly changed on the second day when UNM dropped 13 shots behind Vanderbilt into seventh place.
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"The wind was blowing 20-30 miles per hour on Friday, and that really messed us up, I think," Booth said.
The Lobos came out on Saturday trying not to give up any more ground, and fighting to stay in the top eight.
"We had a good heart-to-heart that night, and discussed what needed to be done on Saturday," Booth said.
UNM stabilized its play as they shot a much improved, 16-over-300 to finish the tournament in seventh place at 66-over-par - 20 shots behind Vanderbilt.
"I thought we played well and could have won it if we just let the wind get in our heads," Booth said. "But I'm happy with our performance."
The Lobos were led individually by junior Kailin Downs and freshman Ashley Rollins who tied for 17th overall at 16-over-229. Downs was also recently selected to play for Team USA for the U.S. vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championships.
Also finishing strong for the Lobos was senior Katrina Leckovic who finished in a tie for 27 with a total score of 231, 18-over-par. She also carded her best round of the tournament on Saturday with a 4-over-75.
Other finishers for UNM included sophomore Christine Fernandez, who shot a 21-over-234, and junior Shannon Johnson who shot a 23-over-236.
The Lobos now turn their attention to the national championships - a level they haven't competed at in four years, and a place no one on the current roster has been.
"I think that we have a 1-in-24 chance of winning the thing and that we are very capable of doing so if we make our putts," Booth said. "The girls have worked harder than any team I've ever coached, and I think it's starting to show."
The UNM men's golf team is tuning up for its regional tournament this weekend, although the location and region have yet to be determined.
The men have been successful this season as well, and are No. 20 in the nation with an overall record of 99-41-1.
"It has been a good season so far, but its really only halfway over because these tournaments late in the year mean so much for us," men's coach Glen Millican said.
Millican said the Lobos are preparing to the best of their ability with a hectic finals week ahead of them.
