June 1, 2005
Complete 2004-05 Season Recap in PDF Format
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The 2004-05 New Mexico women’s golf team maintained the program’s long-standing tradition of excellence with two tournament wins, a berth in the NCAA Central Regional and a top-20 ranking all season.
UNM took second at the Mountain West Championships and placed in the top 10 in seven of its nine tournaments. The Lobos won their second straight Landfall Tradition in October and captured the Lady Gamecock Classic in March. New Mexico has now won an impressive 12 tournament titles the past four seasons. At the prestigious NCAA Match Play Championships in November, the Lobos claimed the consolation title after winning three consecutive matches, becoming one of only five teams in the tournament to win at least three matches.
For its efforts on another outstanding regular season, UNM was rewarded with the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Central Regional, marking the 13th consecutive year the Lobos have earned a postseason bid. The Lobos came up just eight strokes shy of advancing to their second straight NCAA Championships appearance with a 13th-place finish at the regional. New Mexico’s incredible run of 84 consecutive weeks ranked in the top 15 was halted with a No. 16 ranking after the NCAA Central Regionals. After a brief one-week absence, the Lobos re-entered the top 15 and finished the final Golfweek rankings at No. 15 for the season.
Individually, the Lobos were again the class of the Mountain West Conference, leading the all-conference team with three selections. It marks the fifth straight year that New Mexico has placed at least three student-athletes on the All-MWC team. Senior Kailin Downs, a two-time MWC Golfer of the Year, became the first four-time honoree in MWC history. Sophomore Ashley Rollins garnered honors for the second straight year while junior Christine Fernandez earned all-league accolades for the second time in her career and first at UNM. Fernandez was named to the All-WAC team when she was a freshman at the University of Tulsa.
Downs closed out her storied career with a 74.38 scoring average, the best in the history of UNM women’s golf. The Bend, Ore., native also owns the sophomore (74.10) and junior (73.91) scoring-average marks at UNM, and came up just percentage points short of setting the senior record with a 74.67 average, which was still good for second in the Mountain West this season. She earned Mountain West Golfer of the Month honors in September and October, marking the sixth and seventh times she has won the award. Overall, Downs placed in the top five on 15 occasions during her career, including a second-place finish at the Gamecock Classic. She was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VI Women’s At-Large team for the second straight year.
Senior Kailin Downs |
Fernandez was second on the team with a 75.26 average, which was also good for fourth in the Mountain West. Rollins, the 2004 Mountain West Freshman of the Year, was seventh in the MWC with a 76.04 average while senior Christina Spence was ninth in the conference with a 76.54 average. Redshirt freshman Giselle Claux (78.19 avg.) started in six tournaments and freshman Alexandra Phelps (79.93 avg.) started four times for UNM this season.
In the final Golfweek rankings, the Lobos had four players ranked in the top 150. Downs led the way at 42nd, while Fernandez was 71st, Rollins was 128th and Spence was 149th.
The Lobos wrapped up another successful fall season after winning the Landfall Tradition for the second straight year and by placing in the top 10 in all five of its tournaments. The Lobos closed out the fall ranked eighth in the Golf World College Coaches Poll and 12th in the Golfweek rankings.
In their last tournament of the fall season, the Lobos placed ninth at the Collegiate Match Play Championship played in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. UNM defeated UNLV, 4-1, on the last day of the tournament to claim the consolation bracket title. After falling in the first round to Florida, the seventh-seeded Lobos rattled off three straight victories in taking ninth place.
The annual Collegiate Match Play Championship features 16 seeded teams in a double-elimination bracket while playing in a match-play format. The Lobos defeated 15th-seeded North Carolina and sixth-seeded Tennessee on the second day of the tournament.
Giselle Claux won all four of her matches at the Collegiate Match Play Championship. |
Before the Match Play Championship, the Lobos won their second straight Landfall Tradition title Oct. 29-31 in Wilmington, N.C. New Mexico also placed in the top 10 in its first three tournaments, taking second at the Dick McGuire Invitational, seventh at the Stanford Intercollegiate and eighth at the NCAA Fall Preview.
The Lobos began spring action Feb. 7-9 at the Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif., which featured a loaded field of ranked teams. UNM finished 10th in the tournament, but the tough competition braced the Lobos for the Gamecock Classic March 11-13 in Blythewood, S.C. UNM won the classic by 10 shots over No. 20 Furman in winning its second tournament title of the season. Downs took second and Spence placed sixth in leading the Lobos to victory.
In the final tuneup before the Mountain West Championships, UNM placed 11th at the PING/Arizona State Invitational. The Lobos regrouped three weeks later and had a strong showing at the MWC Championships, coming up just two strokes short of winning its fifth Mountain West crown in six years. New Mexico and UNLV shared the lead throughout the final round, and were tied after 16 holes, but the Rebels got the best of UNM on the last two holes to claim the title.
The Lobos, who have participated in every NCAA Regional since the field was expanded in 1993, got off to a fast start in the first round of the Central Regional Championships in Lubbock with their best single round in school history at a regional, shooting a 3-over 291 as a team to tie for second. The Lobos struggled on the second day, however, and fell to 16th place. UNM made a charge in the third round, tying for the second-best team score of the day, but it wasn’t enough to propel the Lobos into the NCAA Championships.
Although the Lobos fell short of their goal in making it to their second straight NCAA Championships appearance, the 2004-05 season was highlighted by several outstanding individual accomplishments, two tournament victories and a berth in the NCAA Central Regionals. With their 13th consecutive postseason bid and 12 tournament titles the past four seasons, the Lobos have proved they are consistent winners who belong with the elite programs in the nation.
THE CLASS OF THE MOUNTAIN WEST – The Lobos are clearly the class of the Mountain West Conference when it comes to women’s golf. UNM has won four of the six MWC Championships and finished the season as the highest ranked team in the league at No. 15 in the nation.
For the fifth straight year, New Mexico placed at least three student-athletes on the all-conference team. This year, the Lobos once again led the league with three selections as Kailin Downs, Christine Fernandez and Ashley Rollins earned all-league accolades. Downs became the first four-time honoree in Mountain West history, while Rollins garnered back-to-back honors.
The Lobos owned four of the top nine scoring averages in the MWC and Downs was named the MWC Golfer of the Month twice this season. Downs was second in the league with a 74.67 average, while Christine Fernandez was fourth at 75.26. Ashley Rollins was seventh, Christina Spence was ninth, Giselle Claux was 19th and Alexandra Phelps was 23rd in the conference.
BY THE NUMBERS –
New Mexico has made 12 appearances at the NCAA Championships (1982, `83,
`84, `85, `87, `88, `93, `95, `96, `98, 2001, 2004)
The Lobos were ranked in the top 15 for 84 straight weeks (since Sept. 29, 2003). After one week out of the top 15 at No. 16 before the NCAA Championships, the Lobos were ranked 15th at the end of the season.
New Mexico has made 13 straight postseason appearances
UNM has claimed 13 conference championships
The Lobos have won 39 tournament titles in their history
The Lobos have won 12 tournament titles in the last four years
The Lobos had the ninth toughest schedule in the nation in 2004-05
The Lobos were 83-46 overall vs. all opponents in tournament play
PLAYER NOTES –
DOWNS BECOMES FIRST FOUR-TIME ALL-CONFERENCE HONOREE IN MOUNTAIN WEST HISTORY – Senior Kailin Downs became the first player in the history of the Mountain West Conference to be named to the all-conference team four consecutive years after earning all-league honors at the 2005 Mountain West Championship awards banquet. Downs, one of the most prolific players in New Mexico history, closed her storied career as the all-time scoring average leader in the school record books with a 74.38 average.
Downs was named the Mountain West Golfer of the Month in October, marking the second time she has won the award this season and seventh in her career. She also garnered the award in September. Downs’ key performance to earn the award came at the Landfall Tradition, where she placed second with a career-best score of 211. She also took third at the Dick McGuire Invitational. Overall, she placed in the top five on 15 occasions during her career, including a second-place finish at the Gamecock Classic March 11-13.
Kailin Downs closed her career with the best scoring average in UNM history. |
The Bend, Ore., product led the team and was second in the Mountain West with a 74.67 scoring average. She finished the season ranked 42nd in the country by Golfweek.
Downs, who was named a Golfweek second-team preseason All-American for the second consecutive year, established herself as one of the nation’s premier collegiate golfers and solidified her national standing with an excellent summer of golf in 2004. She advanced to the round of 32 in match play at the 2004 U.S. Women’s Amateur and won two of her three matches in helping lead Team USA past Japan in the 2004 Fuji Xerox U.S. vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championships held July 16-18 in Ichihara, Japan.
Downs earned honorable mention All-America honors for the second straight season in 2003-04 after setting a new UNM junior record with a 73.91 scoring average. She also owns the sophomore record (74.1). Downs was the 2004 recipient of the Edith Cummings Munson Award, which is presented by the NGCA to an individual based on academic and athletic achievement. She boasted a 3.82 GPA in General Management to earn NGCA Scholar-Athlete honors for the third straight season and also earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-America third team.
Last season, Downs was named the MWC Women’s Golfer of the Month in September after winning her first career tournament at the 2003 Dick McGuire Invitational and Co-MWC Golfer of the Month in February after placing fourth at the Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge. Downs was the only player in the conference to earn Golfer of the Month honors twice in 2002-03 (September and April). As a freshman, Downs garnered Golfer of the Month honors in October of 2001.
ASHLEY’S ROLLIN’ – Sophomore Ashley Rollins, who made a splash onto the collegiate golf scene her freshman season, earned All-Mountain West honors for the second straight year after tying for fourth at the conference championships, a career-best. A third-team preseason All-American by Golfweek, Rollins lived up to the hype in her first season as a Lobo, establishing a new freshman record at UNM with a 74.62 scoring average and finishing the season ranked No. 52. For her efforts, she was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year and also earned All-MWC honors.
Sophomore Ashley Rollins |
One of the top recruits in Coach Booth’s tenure, Rollins made the cut at the 2003 U.S. Women’s Amateur and won all four of her matches at the AJGA Canor Cup prior to attending UNM.
In her first action of the 2004-05 season, Rollins tied for 14th at the Dick McGuire Invitational with a 3-over 222. She was the team’s highest finisher at the NCAA Central Regionals, tying for 20th place. Rollins finished the season with a scoring average is 76.04, good for seventh in the Mountain West. She closed the year ranked 128th by Golfweek.
FERNANDEZ EARNS ALL-CONFERENCE FOR SECOND TIME IN HER CAREER – Junior Christine Fernandez was a welcome addition to the 2003-04 Lobo squad after transferring from the University of Tulsa. After starting in all but one tournament last season, Fernandez stepped up even more in her second year, and became one of the elite players in the Mountain West.
She was named to the All-Mountain West team for her fourth place finish at the conference championships, marking the second time she has earned all-conference accolades in her career. She was also named to the All-WAC team as a freshman at the University of Tulsa.
Fernandez finished the year ranked 71st by Golfweek with a 75.26 average, which was also good for fourth best in the MWC.
Fernandez tied for 17th at the Dick McGuire Invitational in her first action of the 2004-05 season, but she really stepped into the national spotlight with a great showing at the NCAA Fall Preview. In a tournament that featured 16 ranked teams, Fernandez shot a 1-over 214 to tie for fifth, which was her best 54-hole total as a Lobo. She led the Lobos with a 217 at the Stanford Intercollegiate, marking her third top-20 finish of the season.
Junior Christine Fernandez |
Fernandez finished in the top 10 in three tournaments last season, including a career-best tie for second at the Dr. Thompson Invitational in Hawai’i, where she shot a season-low round of 68 in the second round. She also placed in the top 10 at the Las Vegas Founders Women’s Collegiate Showdown and shot a season-low 219 to tie for ninth at the Mountain West Championships. The Las Vegas, Nev., native was the Lobos’ top finisher at the 2004 NCAA Championships, carding a 7-over 295 to tie for 33rd.
SPENCE FINISHES STRONG IN SENIOR SEASON – Christina Spence, who garnered All-MWC accolades in 2002-03, worked her back into the starting lineup in 2004-05 and made the most of her senior season. Spence was ninth in the conference with a 76.54 scoring average in eight tournament appearances. She placed in the top 20 five times this season, including season-best sixth-place showing at the Gamecock Classic. In her last Mountain West Championships, Spence placed 11th. She finished the season ranked 149th by Golfweek.
NEW ADDITION – Redshirt freshman Giselle Claux, a native of Lima, Peru, joined the Lobos for the 2004 spring season after sitting out fall competition. A talented golfer with international experience, Claux competed for the Peruvian National Team in several Junior South American tournaments. She placed fourth at the 2003 Junior South American tournament in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Claux started in six tournaments in her first season of action at UNM. In her first collegiate tournament, she tied for 78th at the Dick McGuire Invitational. She dramatically improved in her second tournament, tying for 31st at the Stanford Intercollegiate.
Claux really came alive at the Collegiate Match Play Championships, winning all four of her matches in the No. 5 position against Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and UNLV. In her first Mountain West Championships appearance, Claux placed a season-best 16th with a 235. She closed the year ranked 19th in the Mountain West with a 78.19 average.
NEW ADDITION, Pt. 2 – Freshman Alexandra Phelps, a native of Albuquerque, contributed to her hometown Lobos in her first season. Phelps won the 2004 Class 5A state golf championship and also won the 2004 Albuquerque Women’s City Championship. She earned the Albuquerque Tribune Lighthouse Award/Athlete of the Year for girl’s golf in 2004. She played as an individual in the Dick McGuire Invitational and started in the NCAA Fall Preview and Stanford Intercollegiate. Phelps’ top performance of the season came at the Gamecock Classic, where she tied for ninth place with a 236. Phelps finished the season ranked 23rd in the Mountain West with a 79.93 scoring average.