April 14, 2008

New Mexico - MWC Championship Notes in PDF Format

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The 23rd-ranked New Mexico women's golf team will compete in the Mountain West Conference Championships on April 17-19 in Albuquerque, N.M. Tournament action gets underway Thursday and continues through Saturday, April 19 at the UNM Championship Golf Course. The seven-team field will play 18 holes each day. The MWC Championships will be played at the UNM Championship Golf Course for the first in school history.

The Course - The UNM Championship Golf Course is one of the top collegiate venues in the country and the home of the 2008 Mountain West Conference Championships for the first time and the 2008 NCAA Women's National Championship.

Results/Media Coverage - Results and live scoring from the 2008 Mountain West Conference Championships can be obtained at www.GolfStat.com. A full Lobo recap and results of each round will be posted at www.GoLobos.com.

Lobos Ranked 23rd Nationally - New Mexico women's golf is ranked 23rd nationally according to the Golfweek rankings released on April 7. The Lobos have two golfers ranked in the Top 50 individually in sophomores Jodi Ewart and Britney Choy. Ewart, who ranks second in the MWC with a 74.39 scoring average, is the 37th ranked player nationally and Choy is ranked 47th. Choy is seventh in the conference with a 75.55 scoring average.

The Lobo Lineup - The Lobos will go with the following lineup in the MWC Championships Britney Choy, Jodi Ewart, Mikaela Backstedt, Alexandra Phelps and Morgan Grantham. The lineup will be the same as the PING/Arizona State Invitational.

MWC Championships - The Lobos look to improve on their third place finish from last year and claim their first team title since 2003. UNM won the first four MWC Championships from 2000-03 and have won three individual titles. Sophomore Jodi Ewart won the individual crown last year in Utah and was the first Lobo to win the event since Katrina Leckovic in 2003. April 17-19 will mark the first time the MWC Championship has been played in Albuquerque.

Road To NCAA National Championship - The Lobos return every golfer from last year's team that made the school's 13th appearance in the NCAA Championships. The Lobos finished 22nd out of 24 teams and hope to build upon that result this year. UNM posted five top-five finishes in 11 tournaments a year ago. The Lobos have competed in nine tournaments this year with the hopes of playing in the national championships on their home course in May. UNM must qualify for nations by placing in the top 8 at regionals.

Mountain West Conference Women's Golf - The Mountain West Conference has seven schools that participate in women's golf. All seven will be competing April 17-19 at the UNM Championship Golf Course. New Mexico is the only MWC team ranked in the top 25 according to Golfweek. In the history of the MWC Championships, only UNM, UNLV and TCU have won the event.

New Leadership For Lobos - Former Lobo and assistant coach Jill Trujillo was promoted to head coach over the summer after spending most of the 2007 spring semester as the Lobos' interim head coach. Trujillo took over a nationally respected program last year and helped guide UNM to its 15th straight NCAA postseason appearance and 13th showing at the NCAA Championships. Trujillo is assisted by former Lobo golfer Shelly Schlagel.

National Rankings - UNM entered the Mountain West Conference Championship ranked 23rd according to the most recent Golfweek poll. The Lobos have competed in four events this spring leading up to the MWC showdown at the UNM Championship Golf Course. UNM won the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational and captured its first tournament since 2005.

Senior Leadership - New Mexico has two seniors in Giselle Claux and Alexandra Phelps. Claux, native of Lima, Peru, joined the Lobo women's golf program in 2004. She has competed in 31 career events and has a 78.12 scoring average. Phelps, from Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, has played 99 rounds as a Lobo and enters the MWC Championships with a 77.48 scoring average. Over the summer, Phelps captured her third Albuquerque City Women's Amateur championship.

Choy Shines During Spring - Sophomore Britney Choy sat out the fall semester after having back surgery over the summer but she has shined during the spring. The native of Wahiawa, Hawai'i has participated in four tournaments and set a new career best after finishing third at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational. Choy recently tied for 11th at the 2008 PING/Arizona State Invitational and has cracked the top 50 individually. Choy enters the MWC Championships ranked 47th nationally and seventh in the MWC.

UNM Inks Two Standouts - New Mexico women's golf head coach Jill Trujillo announced in November that Sarah Salvo and Rebecca Hellbom have signed National Letters of Intent at New Mexico. Salvo joins the UNM program from Glendale, Calif., while Hellbom is from Vasteras, Sweden and listed by several publications as one of the top juniors in Sweden. Salvo, who played at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High School, recently concluded her high school career and was named an AJGA Rolex Junior All-American Honorable Mention. `Hellbom joins UNM as a left-handed ball striker with a long drive and a solid short game. She is currently enrolled at the Swedish National High School of Golf.

Lobo Women's Golf Places Seventh At Wildcat Invitational - New Mexico women's golf placed seventh at the Wildcat Invitational Wednesday, Feb. 27 after shooting 55-over par during the three-day event. The Lobos carded an 18-over par during the final round at the par 71, 6,166 yard Arizona National Golf Course. Sophomore Jodi Ewart and senior Alexandra Phelps highlighted the tournament for New Mexico after tying for 12th place individually. Phelps shot a 2-over par 73 in the final round and finished the event 10-over par for the tournament. Ewart also shot 10-over par after 54-holes and fired a 5-over par 76 Wednesday. Sophomore Britney Choy, who was competing for the first time this season, shot a team-low 1-over par 72 on the final day and tied for 24th individually. Choy carded rounds of 77-78-72 for a total score of 227. Junior Morgan Grantham shot 10-over par Wednesday and tied for 55th during the event. Grantham was 23-over par and had a final score of 236. Juniors Mikaela Backstedt and Py Bengtsson tied for 70th after shooting 32-over par. Backstedt shot a 16-over par in the finals, while Bengtsson fired a 13-over par 84. Oklahoma State won the team title at 32-over par, while Southern California and Duke tied for second at 34-over. Amanda Blumenherst captured the individual crown after shooting an even-par 213.

Lobos Finish 17th at UCF Challenge - The 23rd-ranked New Mexico women's golf team finished 17th at the UCF Challenge held in Orlando, Fla. The Lobos shot a 38-over par 902 in the 54-hole event held at the par 72, 6,356-yard Red Tail Golf Course. UNM shot a 9-over par 297 in the final round, enabling them to hold off Furman for 17th spot. Duke captured the team championship, winning by 9 shots. Sophomore Jodi Ewart led the Lobos, finishing in a tie for 47th with a 7-over 223. She finished the final round at 1-over par 73. Senior Alexandra Phelps tied for 52nd, shooting an 8-over 224. Junior Morgan Grantham finished with a 12-over par 228. Junior Mikaela Backstedt posted UNM's best round on the day, firing an even-par 72 with four birdies. Backstedt finished the tournament tied for 72nd at 13-over par 229. Sophomore Britney Choy finished the final round with a 4-over par 76, and was 16-over 232 for the tournament.

Lobo Women's Golf Wins Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational - The 22nd-ranked New Mexico women's golf team won the 35th Annual Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational Wednesday, March 19 at the par 72, 6,344 yard University of Texas Golf Course. The Lobos finished the 36-hole event one shot better than fifth ranked Florida and captured their first team title since 2005. UNM shot a 47-over par 623 during the event. Three Lobos finished in the top-5 individually. Sophomore Britney Choy set a new career-low finish after placing third. Choy fired a 10-over par through two rounds and carded a 7-over par 79 in the finals. Senior Alexandra Phelps and junior Mikaela Backstedt tied for fourth at 11-over par. Phelps shot rounds of 73-82 and had a 155 total tournament score. Backstedt carded a 7-over par 79 Wednesday. Sophomore Jodi Ewart fired an 8-over par 80 in the finals and tied for 18th individually. Ewart finished the opening round with a 79 and concluded the event with an 80 for a total score of 159. Junior Morgan Grantham was 24-over par after two days and tied for 61st. The tournament was only 36-holes after the second round was cancelled due to heavy rains in the Austin area. The Lobos took home the trophy with Florida coming in second and tournament host Texas placing third. Defending national champion Stacey Lewis from Arkansas is the medalist. Lewis was 7-over par for the event.

Lobo Women's Golf Finishes 10th at PING/ASU Invitational - The 22nd-ranked New Mexico women's golf team finished 10th at the PING/Arizona State Invitational on Sunday, April 6 at the par 72, 6,230 yard Karsten Golf Course. Sophomore Britney Choy led the Lobos after finishing tied for 11th place individually. New Mexico had three players shoot 2-over par in the final round. The Lobos turn their focus to the 2008 Mountain West Conference Championships in Albuquerque from April 17-19 at the UNM Championship Golf Course. Choy highlighted the PING Invitational after shooting a 2-over par for the three-day event. The sophomore from Wahiawa, Hawai'i, carded rounds of 70-74-74 and finished with a tournament total of 218. Sophomore Jodi Ewart tied for 48th individually and was 12-over par after three rounds. Ewart had her best round of 2-over par 74 Sunday and finished with rounds of 77-77-74. Junior Mikaela Backstedt recorded a tournament total of 229 after shooting rounds of 80-75-74. Backstedt tied for 53rd and was 13-over par. Senior Alexandra Phelps tied for 65th at 18-over par 234. Phelps was 7-over par 79 and carded rounds of 78-77-79. Junior Morgan Grantham tied for 68th at 18-over par and junior Py Bengtsson, who played unattached, finished 91st. Southern California captured the team title after shooting 10-under par for the event. Arizona State was second and UCLA third. ASU's Anna Nordqvist and USC's Dewi Claire Schreefel tied for the individual title.