Sept. 28, 2007
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico women’s golf is ranked ninth according to the Golfweek rankings released today. The Lobos have three golfers ranked in the Top 35 individually including sophomore Jodi Ewart who is ranked 13th. Juniors Mikaela Backstedt and Py Bengtsson are 28th and 34th respectively. UNM is coming off an eighth place finish at the 2007 Margaret Moses Branch NCAA Fall Preview held at the UNM Championship Golf Course earlier this week.
“The field we faced in our opening tournament was the best in the country and I’m so proud of this team,” said UNM head coach Jill Trujillo. “To be ranked in the Top 10 nationally is a great honor. We have worked so hard to get to this point and I look for continued success in every tournament. We still have a lot of things to work on but are making strides every round.”
The Lobos crack the Top 10 for the first time under Trujillo and carry the momentum into the Ihlanfeldt Invitational on Oct. 8 in Seattle, Wash. UNM has four tournaments remaining on the schedule this fall as they gear towards the NCAA nationals held in Albuquerque on May 20-23.
Ewart finished in a tie for 15th at the NCAA Preview and has a 69.51 rating. Backstedt shot a 2-over par 221 in the first event of the year and tied for 21st. Her performance led to a 70.79 rating, while Bengtsson has a 71.11 rating after tying for 26th.
The ratings are based on the Jeff Sagarin’s system that is based on a mathematical formula that uses a player’s won-lost-tied record against other players when they play on the same course on the same day, and the stroke differential between those players, then links all players to one another based on common opponents. The ratings give an indication of who is playing well over the past 52 weeks.
For more information about Lobo women’s golf visit www.GoLobos.com.