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ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The University of New Mexico men’s golf team is headed to Tucson once again to compete in the 2016 installment of the MW Golfing Championships. The competition is set to take place April 22-24, with all 11 MW squads competing.
As per usual, the field will compete at the Catalina Course at OMNI Tucson National, which is set to play at 7,194 yards with a par of 72. Eighteen holes will be played each day with tee times beginning at 8 a.m. MT.
UNM is set to begin its title hunt in the Group 2 pairings, set to go off between 8:40-9:12 a.m. MT. The Lobos will be paired with the Cowboys of Wyoming throughout Day 1.
The Lobos have had success this season at the OMNI Catalina course. At this year’s National Invitational Tournament (NIT) UNM was propelled by Gustavo Morantes’ first collegiate victory. Morantes finished in a tie for first place with Iowa State’s Nick Voke at 11-under 205. He posted a bogey-free final round with birdies on the 2nd, 8th, 15th and 18th. There was not a playoff held and co-champions were declared. In addition to Morantes’ victory ever Lobo in the field finishing inside the top-50 and two additional players laid claim to top-5 finishes.
The Lobos are looking to claim their first MW crown since winning back-to-back championships in 2013 and 2014. Last year’s performance saw the Lobos finish fourth at 9-under 843, one shot North of Nevada and eight strokes off eventual champion SDSU.
Senior Sean Romero was UNM’s highest finisher last year, coming in at 3-under 210 and T9. Gustavo Morantes is coming off an 11th place at 2-under 211 (71-69-71) in 2015. Morantes finished ahead of Senior leader Sam Saunders and All-American Gavin Greene, who both finished T15 at 1-over 214. Andrej Bevins rounds out the list of Lobo competitors in the 2015 championships, he finished in 18th postion at 2-over 215 (73-72-70).
UNM is the most decorated golfing program in the conference with six conference championships to their credit, including a four-peat from 2003-06. The program also had two second place finishes to its credit and five other top-5 performances since the championships inception in 1999. In addition, the squad holds the record for largest winning margin, four strokes and the lowest single round score, a 64. Both records are held by Steve Saunders and came in the 2009 campaign.
The San Diego State Aztecs come in as the 2015 defending conference champions and enter the championships ranked 22nd in the nation according to Goflstat. The Aztecs are in search of their fourth MW crown title in program history. UNLV enters in looking to nab their third overall championship, and breaking a title drought that extends back to 2002.
Five MW golfers enter the field ranked inside the top-100, three of which are Aztecs. Junior Nahum Mendoza III is the highest ranked golfer in the field, coming in at No. 13, while teammates Ryann Ree (No. 42) and Riccardo Michelini (No. 55) join the ranks as some of the most highly touted golfers in the country. John Oda (No. 68) and Shintaro Ban (No. 98) round out the ranked players in this years field.
Five of last year’s top-10 individual performers return to this year’s field. This players are lead by the tandem of Nick Fuller and Corey Eddings. Fuller placed third at 7-under 206, while Eddings tied for fourth with SDSU’s Ryann Ree at 5-under 208. The Wolf Pack’s Grant Booth tied for seventh with Nahum Mendoza III, an Aztec, at 4-under 209.
Live hole-by-hole scoring, post-round highlights and interviews will be provided via the Mountain West.
Lobos Back in Tucson for MW Championship
