The Field vs. New Mexico (52) – UNLV (17), San Diego State (22), San José State (55), Colorado State 68), Fresno State (76), Boise State (102), Nevada (96), and Wyoming (136).
The Lobos – Ingrid Gutierrez, Manon Molle’, Eva Saulnier, Alexandra Moisand, and Darian Zachek.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It’s championship time for Mountain West golfers. The Lobos are set, once again, to pack up their clubs and make the trip to sunny California for the Mountain West Championships. The three-day, 54 hole event will take place at the Dinah Shore Course at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. from Apr. 18th to the 20th.
Four-time champion, UNLV, enters the tournament ranked 17th according to GolfStat, while defending champions, San Diego State, is ranked 23rd and in search of its second league crown. Third seeded New Mexico, which sits in 50th in the GolfStat rankings, are eight-time champions and will be looking for their first title since 2014. The Lobos finished second as a team in 2015 and were the conference champions in 2014.
New Mexico’s own, Manon Molle’, will be defending her title after taking home the individual medal in 2015. Molle’ carded a season best score of 67 at the event.
“Come conference time it’s anybody’s game,” said Lobo head coach Jill Trujillo. “It all just depends on who plays the best at that time. We have some great teams in our conference, so our conference championship is usually very competitive.”
The championship will be held at the par 72, 6,291 yard Dinah Shore Course which was recently the host of the LPGA ANA Inspiration. Following the crowning of the Mountain West champions, the prevailing team will christen their win with a traditional dip in Poppie’s Pond.
“It’s a course that we typically play very well,” said Trujillo. “The girls know the course and we have been going over the course every day, so it should be fun to watch.”
The Lobos are coming into the championships after a respectable eighth place finish at the Red Raider Invitational in Lubbock, Texas. In addition, sophomore, Ingrid Gutierrez, was also named Mountain West Golfer of the Week for her efforts at the event, finishing tied for 13th place in a field of 98 individuals.
“We finished on a fairly high note at Texas Tech,” Trujillo commented. “They all played with a purpose and they were focused. That was also a good high note going into conference for Ingrid.”
Come Monday morning, the Lobos will face off their eight conference rivals in an effort to reclaim the Mountain West Championship title.
“I have no doubt that this team that we have is going to be there to play,” said Trujillo.
For live stats visit Golfstat or theMW.com
Tee Times: Monday – Wednesday – 7 a.m. PT
First Round Pairings:
Group 1 7:00-7:36 a.m. – Boise State, San José State, UNLV
Group 2 7:45-8:21 a.m. – Nevada, Colorado State, San Diego State
Group 3 8:30-9:06 a.m. – Wyoming, Fresno State, New Mexico