Having won it twice before, Jodi Ewart was hardly lauded a dark horse to win the individual title in the Mountain West Conference Women’s Golf Championship at the Bayonet & Black Horse Golf Course in Seaside, Calif.
Yet, even favored, Ewart continues to amaze. Ewart ventured into uncharted waters, surpassing Caroline Keggi in UNM’s record books for most individual titles. Previously, Ewart and Keggi were tied with four apiece, before Ewart’s victory on Saturday.
Leading the way, Ewart’s 1-under 71 helped guide the Lobos to a third consecutive MWC title, earning them an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships, which begin with NCAA regionals on May 6-8. Since 2000, UNM has won seven of 11 conference championships.
UNM head coach Jill Trujillo said Ewart’s accomplishments are nothing short of amazing.
“I just can’t say enough about Jodi,” Trujillo told GoLobos.com. “It could be a long time before someone else comes along and matches what she has done in four years at UNM.”
Sinking a pair of birdies on the back nine holes, Ewart finished with a three-day total of 217 or 1-over par. Still, she was four strokes ahead of her nearest competitor, TCU’s Rachel Raastad. Rounding out the day, Ewart was named MWC Player of the Year for the fourth consecutive year, making her the first person among all MWC sports to earn that honor four times.
“It means a lot to me to set the school record for championships,” Ewart said. “Caroline was a great golfer. It’s also a huge honor to be named MWC player of the year again, because there have been so many great players the past four years.”
