2015 New Mexico Lobos Women’s Golf — Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational
The Field vs. New Mexico: UC- Davis, CSU Fullerton, Denver, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Miami, UNLV, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Pepperdine, San Diego State, Stanford, UT – El Paso, Washington State.
The 2015-16 Lobos: Manon Molle’, Eva Saulnier, Ingrid Gutierrez, Alexandra Moisand, and Sol Lee.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico women’s golf team exceeded expectations in this year’s Branch Law Firm / Dick McGuire Invitational, finishing in a sixth-place tie with Oregon at five-over par in a field of 18. The unranked Lobos hosted nine preseason nationally-ranked teams including Stanford, the reigning NCAA Champions, yet still succeeded in finishing in the top 10 team standings.
“We really battled this afternoon,” said Lobo head coach Jill Trujillo. “They are fighters and they fight for each other.”
Going into the final round of the tournament, Stanford maintained a considerable lead over the remainder of the field with a team score of 18 under par, well ahead of second place Northwestern which was at six-under. Round three was much of the same. Stanford improved their score to 20-under par, clinching the team victory by 10 strokes. Northwestern held solid and finished second at -10 with UNLV in third at -6.
The Lobos were looking strong before an unexpected rain storm made its way across the course, rattling focus and tacking on strokes.
“We lost a few shots toward the end because we had a freakish rain storm that came through with lots of wind,” Trujillo admitted. “All in all though, I’m so proud of this team.”
UNM ultimately finished sixth alongside Oregon (+5), with Iowa State and Oklahoma State edging them out for fourth with matching team scores of three-over par.
In the individual standings, Sarah Cho of Northwestern was the medalist at -8, one shot better than Stanford’s Mariah Stackhouse at -7. UNM’s Manon Molle’ finished among five others in 12th place with a score of two-under par. Freshman Sol Lee wasn’t far behind in 18th at one-under.
The sixth place finish in such an immensely talented field is telling of just how determined the Lobos are to prove they have what it takes to hang with the best.
“I feel like this is the start of something,” said Trujillo. “I wouldn’t be surprised if these girls bring home a trophy this year. They are that hungry and they really want it bad. I’m just going to be along for the ride.”
Next, the Lobos will travel to Greenville, S.C. for the Lady Paladin Invitational on Sep. 20-22.