June 6, 2006
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PRODUCTIVE SEASON FOR YOUNG LOBOS: Playing its last eight tournaments with three freshmen and a pair of sophomores, the University of New Mexico women’s golf team finished the 2005-06 season ranked 25th in the nation in the Golfweek magazine poll.
UNM advanced to NCAA postseason for the 14th consecutive year, making it to regional competition, but fell short in its bid to play in the NCAA Championships. New Mexico finished 14th at the NCAA West Regional. The Lobos needed to place in the top eight to advance.
UNM’S NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: New Mexico made its 20th NCAA postseason appearance – all since 1982 – when it qualified for the West Regional in suburban Seattle. The only years the Lobos have failed to qualify since 1982 were 1986, `89, `90, `91 and `92.
Regional play was introduced by the NCAA in 1993 and UNM has qualified every year, a string of 14 straight appearances.
New Mexico has advanced to the finals 12 times, including six times (1993, `95, `96, `98, `01 and `04) in 14 tries since regionals were adopted.
HONORS: Mikaela Backstedt was named the Mountain West Conference co-Freshman of the Year along with UNLV’s Da Sol Chung. Backstedt and fellow UNM freshman Py Bengtsson were each named to the all-conference team after tying Chung for first place at the MWC Championships in St. George, Utah. Chung won the title in a 1-hole playoff. It’s the first time two Lobo freshmen have been represented on the all-conference squad in the same season.
HEAD COACH Jackie Booth: Booth has completed nine years as the Lobos’ head coach. New Mexico has qualified for NCAA postseason competition every year since Booth took over in 1998. The Lobos have advanced to the NCAA Championships three times under Booth: 1998, 2001 and 2004.
FRESHMAN PHENOM: Arguably one of the top newcomers in women’s collegiate golf, freshman Mikaela Backstedt turned in a debut that was nothing short of stunning. First and foremost was her scoring average of 73.40, a school record regardless of class. The previous mark was 73.91 by Kailin Downs during her junior season of 2003-04.
The diminuitive native of Hollviken, Sweden, Backstedt finished her first collegiate season ranked 35th in the nation by Golfweek with a player rating of 72.93. She was the No. 2 golfer in the Mountain West Conference and was named MWC Golfer of the Month for September and October, her first two months as a collegian.
Even more remarkable is that Backstedt returned from an injury that could have been career threatening. She suffered a broken left thumb Nov. 25 after dropping a weight on her hand in a Pilates class. The injury required surgery to insert three pins. Backstedt did not compete in the first tournament of the spring, the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, but she returned for the Wildcat Invitational in late February.
BACKSTEDT NAMED GOLFER OF THE MONTH TWICE: Backstedt was named the Mountain West Conference Women’s Golfer of the Month for September and October.
Backstedt started with a 10th-place showing at the Ptarmigan/Ram Fall Classic, carding a 2-over 218 (71-73-74) and helping the Lobos to a second-place finish.
In her second collegiate tournament, Backstedt finished fourth in the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational after shooting a 4-under 215 (70-72-73) on the UNM Championship Course. The field featured seven nationally ranked teams.
In October, Backstedt recorded back-to-back top-10 finishes, including medalist honors at the Price’s Give `Em Five Intercollegiate. In six rounds of play, she recorded a 72.67 stroke average.
At the Price’s Give `Em Five Intercollegiate, Backstedt birdied the first playoff hole to win the individual title after shooting a 3-under 213 (71-69-73). The 19-year-old became the first freshman in the history of New Mexico women’s golf to win a tournament and the first Lobo, regardless of classification, to claim a title since senior Katrina Leckovic captured the 2003 UNLV Invitational.
Backstedt and the University of San Francisco’s Jessica Potter each finished 54 holes at 3-under 213. Backstedt set up the winning birdie by knocking her approach shot within eight feet on the par-4 10th hole, while Potter made par.
MORE ON THE FROSH: Mikaela Backstedt, Py Bengtsson and Morgan Grantham were UNM’s top-three finishers at the 2006 Mountain West Conference Championships. Backstedt and Bengtsson tied for first place. Grantham tied for 14th.
SPRING TOURNAMENT RECAPS
NCAA WEST REGIONAL (May 11-13): The 23rd-ranked New Mexico Lobos made an early run, but came up short in the final round of the NCAA West Regional played at the Washington National Golf Club outside Seattle. Needing to finish in the top-8 to advance to the NCAA Championships, the Lobos fired their best round of the tournament – a 13-over-par 301 – but finished in 14th place with a 54-hole total of 926.
After a 30-over 318 in the second round left them 19 shots from eighth place and in the 15th spot overall, UNM tried to play catch up. They finished the front nine in a sparkling 2-over and trailed eighth-place Arkansas by four shots. However, as it had been all weekend, the back nine was just too tough to stage a rally.
The Lobos were tightly bunched in the individual race. Freshman Morgan Grantham came into the tournament with the team’s highest scoring average at 79.29, but she tied a career-best with a final-round 74 to finish in a tie for 40th at 15-over 231. Sophomore Alexandra Phelps tied for 53rd at 233. Freshmen Mikaela Backstedt and Py Bengtsson were in a group at 234, tying for 57th. Sophomore Giselle Claux, who shot 81 in each of the first two rounds, showed her mettle by firing a 73, the Lobos’ low score of the day. Claux tied for 59th at 235.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS (Apr. 20-22): The Lobos came close to a sweep, but in the end it was UNLV taking home most of the hardware at the Mountain West Confence Championships. The Rebels staved off New Mexico down the stretch to win their third straight title at the Entrada at Snow Canyon Course in St. George, Utah.
The neophyte Lobos put a brief scare into UNLV. Trailing by four shots after two rounds, UNM cut the Rebels’ lead in half early, but could never get any closer. New Mexico finished with a team total of 900 after shooting a 14-over 302 in the final round. UNLV was five shots better at 895. BYU was third at 907.
The chase for the individual crown was even closer. In a battle of freshmen, UNLV’s Da Sol Chung made birdie on the first playoff hole to defeat Lobos Mikaela Backstedt and Py Bengtsson. The trio finished 54 holes tied at 6-over 222. Backstedt and Bengtsson both made par on the extra hole.
The playoff was forced after Chung bogeyed 17 and 18 and Bengtsson also had a bogey 5 on the par-4 18th. Backstedt had a two-shot lead earlier in the day, but a mid-round swoon dropped her out of the lead. She finished with a 5-over 77.
Backstedt and Bengtsson were both named to the all-conference team while Backstedt joined Chung as co-MWC Freshman of the Year.Backstedt started the day at 1-over for the tournament and got back to even after a birdie on No. 2. Leading the pack by two shots, she then dropped seven shots over an eight-hole span before making birdie on the par-4 15th.
UNM’s top three finishers were all freshmen as Morgan Grantham tied her collegiate low with a 2-over 74. She tied for 14th place at 230. Sophomore Alexandra Phelps tied for 17th at 231. Fellow sophomore Giselle Claux had a three-round total of 236, tying for the 23rd spot.
DIXIE CLASSIC (Apr. 3-5): Neither the 26th-ranked Lobos nor freshman Mikaela Backstedt could hang on to their respective leads in the final round of the BYU Dixie Classic in St. George, Utah. Entering the day with an 11-shot lead over No. 10 UNLV, the Lobos struggled to a 40-over 328 and finished third in the 19-team field.
The Lady Rebels of UNLV won the team title at 924, clipping host BYU by three shots and the Lobos by 10. UNM had a three-round total of 934 on the par-72 Entrada at Snow Canyon course.
UNM’s five competitors averaged 42 on the back nine, and were a collective 27-over-par on the final five holes. Holes 14 and 15 were not kind to the Lobos as they combined to lose a decisive 12 shots.
Backstedt, who led the individual competition by two shots after two rounds, was clinging to a one-shot lead through 11 holes before disaster struck. She dropped seven strokes over the next four holes – and 10 on the final seven – to finish with a 13-over 85, her worst score by seven strokes in 24 rounds at UNM. Backstedt ended in a tie for fourth place overall at 13-over 229. UNLV’s Seema Sadekar grabbed the individual title at 7-over 223.
Lobo freshman Py Bengtsson tied for 17th at 236 after shooting 79, the Lobos’ low score of the final round. Sophomore Giselle Claus finished at 237, tying for 19th. Freshman Morgan Grantham and sophomore Alexandra Phelps were in a seven-way tie for 23rd at 239.
DR. DONNIS THOMPSON INVITATIONAL (March 21-22): The 24th-ranked University of New Mexico women’s golf team finished in second place at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational at Kaneohe Bay, Hawai’i. The Lobos trailed only No. 14 Tennessee in the 12-team field that competed at the par-71 Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course.
UNM finished 54 holes at 42-over 894, 38 shots behind the Volunteers. Red-hot Tennessee claimed the top four spots in the individual standings to run away from the rest of the field. Marci Turner shot a 7-under 64 in the final round to take medalist honors at 3-under 210.
The Lobos were led freshman Mikaela Backstedt, who finished fifth at 5-over 218. It’s the sixth top-10 finish out of seven collegiate tournaments for the Swedish native. Backstedt shot 1-under 71 in the final round. Despite closing with a 77, sophomore Giselle Claux had the best finish of her Lobo career. She had a 9-over 222, good for eighth place.
Freshman Py Bengtsson tied for 12th at 12-over 225. Sophomore Alexandra Phelps was at 17-over 230, tying for 26th, while freshman Morgan Grantham tied for 43rd at 25-over 238.
UNLV SPRING INVITATIONAL (March 13-15): The 24th-ranked Lobos finished in fifth place at the UNLV Spring Rebel Invitational. The 19-team field competed at the par-72, 6,153-yard Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nev.
After shooting their best round of the season – an even-par 288 – the Lobos fell back on the final day, finishing with a 14-over par 302 and a three-day total of 891. That was 12 shots behind 10th-ranked UNLV, who rallied on the last few holes to claim the title in their own tournament. BYU finished second at 882 followed by Campbell (885) and No. 22 Long Beach State (886).
Freshman Mikaela Backstedt entered the final round sharing the individual lead with Long Beach State’s Kay Hoey at 4-under-par, but Backstedt shot a 6-over 78 to finish in a tie for seventh at 2-over 218. Indiana’s Shannon Johnson took medalist honors. She shot a 4-under 68 and completed 54 holes at 5-under 211.
Sophomore Giselle Claux posted the Lobos’ low round of the day, a 2-over 74. She finished at 12-over 228, tying for 35th place. Freshman Py Bengtsson had a solid round going until she came to the final hole. A quadruple bogey 8 pushed her total to 77. Bengtsson tied for 22nd at 9-over 225.
Freshman Morgan Grantham was a nice surprise. She came into the tournament with a scoring average of 81.44, but shot 5-over in the final two rounds to tie Bengtsson for 22nd at 225.
Sophomore Alexandra Phelps. She was 3-under through eight, but gave away eight shots on the next 10 holes to end with a 76 and three-day total of 227, tying for 28th.
WILDCAT INVITATIONAL (Feb. 20-21): The 23rd-ranked New Mexico women’s golf team had an impressive showing in its second competition of the spring, finishing 10th at the Wildcat Invitational played at the Arizona National Golf Club in Tucson.
Playing in an 18-team field that featured 15 ranked schools, including seven currently in the top-10, the Lobos completed the 54 holes at 24-over-par 876. However, they finished ahead of five teams – No. 4 Georgia, No. 10 Vanderbilt, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 15 Washington and No. 16 Stanford – that are ranked higher in the most recent Golfweek poll. No. 9 Arizona State won the team title at 12-under 840, outdistancing top-ranked Duke by six shots.
The individual winner was Vanderbilt’s Jacqui Concolino, who fired a 5-under 66 in the final round to finish at 9-under 204, nipping Cal’s Sophia Sheridan by one shot.
Arguably the youngest team in the field with three freshmen and two sophomores, the Lobos were led by Mikaela Backstedt, who shot a 3-under 68 in the final round to tie for 11th at 1-under 212. The freshman sensation was playing in her first tournament of the spring after recovering from a broken left thumb suffered before Christmas.
Sophomore Alexandra Phelps tied for 25th place at 4-over 217 while freshman Py Bengtsson was a shot behind at 218, tying for 31st. Sophomore Giselle Claux had the misfortune of closing with two double bogeys to end in a tie for 63rd at 16-over 229. Freshman Morgan Grantham was 85th at 241, 28-over.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN REGIONAL CHALLENGE (Feb. 13-15): The 23rd-ranked New Mexico golfers made a nice rally in the final round of the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif. The Lobos, competing short-handed with just four players in their first tournament of the spring season, shot a 23-over 307 at the par-71, 5,912-yard Palos Verdes Country Club to finish in 13th place. The 14-team field featured 13 ranked teams.
New Mexico competed without freshman sensation Mikaela Backstedt, who is sidelined with a broken left thumb. Teams normally use five golfers with the low four scores counting towards the overall team total each day. Backstedt had a fall scoring average of 72.42.
UNM began the final round 19 shots behind 13th-place Washington, but edged the Huskies by two shots, who soared to a 44-over 328. The Lobos improved their team score by 16 strokes from the previous low round of the tournament, a 323 on the first day.
No. 9 Arizona State took team honors with a 40-over 892, edging No. 7 Southern California by one shot. The individual medalist was USC’s Irene Cho at 1-over 214.
Giselle Claux tied her career-low round with a 1-over 72. She finished in a tie for 22nd place after starting the day in 47th.
Freshman Py Bengtsson tied for 41st at 22-over 235. Sophomore Alexandra Phelps was all alone in 56th place at 25-over 238 while freshman Morgan Grantham was at 44-over 257, good for 72nd place.
FALL REVIEW: New Mexico claimed two second-place finishes, a third and a sixth in four fall tournaments.
The Lobos opened the season at the Ptarmigan/Ram Fall Classic played at the Ptarmigan Country Club in Fort Collins, Colo. UNM finished second to Baylor at 874 after firing a 4-over 292 on the final day. Ashley Rollins shot a final round 69 (3-under) to finish in fourth place at 2-under 214. Freshman Mikaela Backstedt tied for 10th at 2-over 218 followed by fellow Swedish freshman Py Bengtsson in 14th place at 4-over 220.
UNM hosted the 27th Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational at the University of New Mexico Championship Course in late September. Third-ranked Pepperdine shot a final round 5-under (287) to finish at 3-under 873, edging unranked Texas A&M by two shots. The Lobos finished third at 6-over 882 followed by No. 14 UNLV (883) and 24th-ranked Ohio State (886). The Lobos carded a 2-over 294 in the final round and were within one shot of the lead before losing a few strokes down the stretch. Backstedt finished fourth at 4-under 215.
At the Price’s Give ‘Em Five Intercollegiate played at the New Mexico State University Golf Course in Las Cruces, Backstedt birdied the first playoff hole to win the individual title.
Backstedt became the first freshman in the history of New Mexico women’s golf to win a tournament and the first Lobo, regardless of classification, to claim a title since Katrina Leckovic captured the 2003 UNLV Invitational.
Playing in just her third collegiate tournament, Backstedt and the University of San Francisco’s Jessica Potter, each finished 54 holes at 3-under 216. Backstedt, who shot a 1-over 73 in the final round, set up the winning birdie by knocking her approach shot within eight feet on the par-4 10th hole. Potter made par.
As a team, 15th-ranked UNM tied host New Mexico State for second place at 893, two shots behind champion Missouri.
The final tournament was at The Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, N.C. The two-time defending champion Lobos moved up one spot to finish in sixth place against a tough field.
Playing with three true freshman in the lineup, the Lobos had their best round of the tournament on the final day – a 13-over 301 – to end at 65-over 929. Fifth-ranked Purdue scorched the course with a 2-under 286 on the final day to outdistance the field, beating 13th-ranked Wake Forest by 17 stokes.
Backstedt led UNM again. She shot a 3-over 75, providing a 54-hole total of 7-over 223, good for a tie for eighth. True freshman Morgan Grantham, playing in her first collegiate tournament, recorded the Lobos’ low round of the final day. Grantham shot a 2-over 74 in the final round, finishing at 19-over 235 and in a tie for 29th place.
PERFECT A.P.R. FOR LOBOS: The New Mexico golf team was one of 595 NCAA Division I women’s squads – in all sports – that produced a perfect 1,000 Academic Progress Report. The NCAA released the latest two-year APR data on March 1, 2006.
OUTSTANDING IN THE CLASSROOM: The New Mexico women’s golf team posted the third best GPA in the nation in 2004-05 with an outstanding 3.628 cumulative mark. UNM placed five student-athletes (Giselle Claux, Kailin Downs, Alexandra Phelps, Christina Spence and Ashley Rollins) on the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Scholar Team released earlier in the summer. South Carolina won the inaugural NGCA award with a 3.752 GPA. The brand new award recognizes the women’s collegiate golf program with the highest collective average team GPA.
LOBOS SIGN TWO: University of New Mexico head women’s golf coach Jackie Booth announced on Nov. 17 the signing of two high school players to national letters of intent. Both will be freshmen in 2006-07. Britney Choy is currently a senior at Leilehua High School in Wahiawa, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. Jodi Ewart is a senior at The Wensleydale School in Middleham, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, England.
Britney Choy…..5-7…..Wahiawa, Hawaii (Leilehua HS)
A senior at Leilehua HS in Wahiawa, Hawaii on the island of Oahu…two-time state high school champ, shooting a 3-over 147 (73-74) as a sophomore at Wailua GC on the island of Kauai…won three straight (2001-03) Callaway state junior championships…can consistently drive in the 260- to 270-yard range…has a 3.5 GPA…2005…finished tied for 22nd at the Junior World Championship and advanced to the second round in the championship flight of the Women’s Trans National Amateur Championship, a tournament comprised mostly of college players…2004…captured the Oahu Interscholastic Association title by 11 shots, firing a 144 (76-68) and earning OAI player of the year honors…PERSONAL…born Nov. 30, 1988…full name is Britney Ann Choy…age is 17.
Jodi Ewart…5-5…Middleham, North Yorkshire, England
A member of the England Elite U18 World Class Potential Squad for the past four years…handicap is +1…also a member of England U18 International, winning three of four matches last year, and the Yorkshire County Elite Training Squad…Yorkshire Girls U18 Team member since 1999…2005…Yorkshire girl’s champion at 4-under-par…Daily Telegraph junior champion, winning by two shots with a 3-over-par at Dubai Creek…won five of six matches, helping lead England to the European championship over Sweden…placed 15th (3-over) at the Scottish Ladies Open played at Royal Troon…finished at 1-over to place 9th at the Welsh Ladies Open…2004…finished 8th at the British Ladies Amateur Strokeplay Championship…PERSONAL…born Jan. 7, 1988…age is 18…played soccer as well at Wensleydale…enjoys tennis, field hockey and track and field…father is a jockey.
SPENCE NAMED NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Former UNM women’s golfer Christina Spence was named the state of New Mexico recipient for the NCAA’s annual Woman of the Year. Spence, a native of Port Alberni, B.C., Canada, and a four-year letterwinner from 2002-05, is currently in her first year of Law School at the University of Victoria.
Now in its 15th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year recognizes outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership. Chosen by a committee of representatives from member institutions, 29 of the 2005 state honorees are from Division I, while 16 represent Division II and six are from Division III. They represent 15 sports.
This year’s state winners were chosen from a pool of 352 nominations, 76 more than in 2004 and the most since 2000, when there also were 352 candidates for the honor.
NCAAs AT UNM IN 2008: The NCAA announced last fall that the 2008 Division I Women’s Golf Championships will be played at The Championship Course. The event, scheduled for May 20-23, 2008, marks the fifth time that the NCAA Championships will be held in Albuquerque.
The UNM Championship Course, which was recently named one of the top 10 collegiate courses in the nation by Golfweek magazine, is no stranger to major tournaments. It was the site of the 1976, 1992 and 1998 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships as well as the 1991, 1995 and 2002 NCAA West Regionals. In 1987, the course hosted the NCAA Women’s Championships, and was also the site of the 1994 NCAA Women’s West Regional. The home course advantage helped the Lobos in 1987, as Caroline Keggi claimed UNM’s only individual national title in golf.
“This is really exciting for our program,” said New Mexico women’s golf coach Jackie Booth. “This will definitely help in recruiting our future classes, knowing that they will be able to play the site of the NCAA Championships every day. It will be a lot of fun to have the biggest tournament of the season right in our back yard.”
Booth has experience coaching and hosting the NCAA Championships. When she was the head coach at New Mexico State, the Aggies hosted the 1988 NCAA Championships in Las Cruces.
“It’s an honor for our course to be considered an NCAA site,” said Booth. “I always felt like it was one of the top collegiate courses in the country. When I’m recruiting, I know that if they can play well on our course, they can play well anywhere. The size of the greens and the length of the course presents an immense challenge for any player.”