Oct. 4, 2005
New Mexico freshman Mikaela Backstedt has been named the Mountain West Conference Women’s Golfer of the Month for September.
The Hollviken, Sweden, native began her collegiate career with back-to-back top-10 finishes to open the 2005-06 season. In six rounds of competition, she leads the Lobos and ranks second in the MWC in scoring average at 72.17. She is currently ranked No. 26 in the country, according to the Oct. 3 Golfweek rankings.
Backstedt began the season with a 10th-place showing at the Ptarmigan/Ram Fall Classic in Fort Collins, Colo., Sept. 12-13. She carded a 2-over 218 (71-73-74) and helped the Lobos to a second-place finish in the 18-team field.
In her second collegiate tournament (Sept. 26-28), she finished in fourth place after shooting a 4-under 215 (70-72-73). The field for the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational featured seven nationally ranked teams and 18 overall as New Mexico finished third behind Pepperdine and Texas A&M.