Kailin Downs said she takes all the responsibility for the UNM women's golf team second-place finish in the Mountain West Conference tournament on Saturday.
Downs, the highest-ranked individual golfer in the MWC, at No. 22, finished in 10th place with a total score of 15-over par.
"I feel like I kind of let the team down," Downs said. "Anybody could say that, but for me personally, I didn't play anywhere near where I should have."
The Lobos, who spent most of the day tied with the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, fell two shots short of winning their fifth MWC title in six years.
UNM was led by junior Christine Fernandez and sophomore Ashley Rollins, who both ended up tied for fourth place at 11-over par.
UNLV was ranked No. 25 in the country, while UNM was ranked No. 14.
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Downs said the team was disappointed about not coming out on top. She said her teammates picked up the slack where they needed to.
"We were right there the whole time," she said. "That's just going to motivate us that much more to get to nationals."
The Lobos have to place in the top eight in their NCAA regional to make it to the national NCAA tournament. UNM will play in the NCAA regionals May 5-7.
Downs said some kinks in her swing prevented her from shooting lower. She said the rest of her game is where it needs to be.
"I had some swing errors that resulted in me not hitting the ball well," she said. "Once I fix my swing, I should be fine."
The Lobos were also helped out by senior Christina Spence's 11th place and freshman Giselle Claux's 16th-place finish. Spence shot a 16-over par, while Claux finished at 22-over par.
Downs said she wants to end her career on top, not mired in the middle of the pack.
"I'm trying not to think about it, but it's on my mind, because I don't have another chance after this," she said.
