April 20, 2004
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SAN DIEGO - SDSU begins the quest for its first conference title this weekend, April 22-24, as it heads to Sunriver, Ore. for the Mountain West Conference Championships. In 23 years of competing for a conference title, the Aztecs have come up empty each time but have recorded five runner-up finishes, including the 2001 and 2002 seasons. A year ago, SDSU got off to a slow start, in part to cold, snowy weather, and never recovered as they finished fifth.
The 2004 Aztecs have a much different look with two newcomers from Scotland leading the way. Freshman Jenna Wilson and junior Heather MacRae have combined for nine top-10 finishes in their inaugural year on the Mesa to lead SDSU to a No. 43 national ranking. Add to that the experience of seniors Shayna Miyajima and Sandy Kim and sophomore Toni Lutz and the Aztecs look to be a postseason threat.
Held at the par-72, 5,851-yard Meadows Course at the Sunriver Resort in Oregon, the MWC Championship is a 54-hole event with 18 holes played each day beginning at 10 a.m. The championship has been held in Sunriver for each of the last three years, except for last season's first round which was forced to a different venue because of snow.
Aztec Notes
* San Diego State (No. 43 Golfweek/No. 49 Golfstat) is enjoying arguably its best season ever. The Aztecs earned their first victory since 2000 when it fired a school record 878 at the Aztec Invitational in the fall and have posted three straight top four finishes. The Aztecs have put themselves in solid position to return to the NCAA tournament after a two-year hiatus as they are currently ranked 13th in the western region according to Golfweek, with 21 teams making the tournament.
* Senior Shayna Miyajima has posted top-10 results in each of her two MWC Championships. Last season, she led SDSU with a ninth place finish and placed fourth in 2002. This year's championship will be the fourth for Sandy Kim, who has recorded two 14th place finishes for the Aztecs at the MWC tournament. In addition, Aztec newcomers Jenna Wilson (5th in MWC with a 75.04 avg.) and Heather MacRae (five top-10 finishes, 7th in MWC with a 74.39 avg.) both have legitimate chances of earning MWC all-conference honors this season. Wilson, MacRae, and Miyajima are all within 20 total strokes of each other on the season and each are currently on pace to break the SDSU scoring record for an individual season, which currently stands at 76.10 by Joanne Clingan in 2000-01. Sophomore Toni Lutz will play in her second straight MWC Championship after posting solid scores in the final two rounds last season.
The Field: At A Glance
* No. 5/4 New Mexico has won each of the first four MWC Championships and looks to be the favorite again this season as the highest nationally ranked team in the conference. The Lobos have also won four tournament titles this year. UNM golfers own five of the top eight averages in the MWC, led by regular-season leader junior Kailin Downs (73.71), who is rated 21st in the nation by Golfweek/Sagarin.
* In only its third season, the UNLV program has been playing at an accelerated developmental pace and stands as the second-highest ranked team in the conference at No. 20/19. The Rebels posted two tournament wins in their regular season, including a victory in the finale at the Utah Dixie Classic, in which SDSU placed third. Sophomore Sunny Oh broke through the UNM domination at the top of MWC season scoring leaderboard and is second at 74.17 and is ranked 22nd in the nation by Golfweek.
* BYU (No. 56/51) has been solid of late as they have recorded three straight top four finishes, including runner-up at the Anteater Invitational. SDSU was 3-1 against the Cougars this season including finishing three strokes ahead at their own season-ending BYU Dixie Classic. Junior Margaret Gibby leads the team and is 14th in the league with a 77.32 stroke average.
* No. 64/64 Colorado State finished third in each of the last two MWC Championships. Junior Lynette Duran earned medalist honors as a freshman in 2002 after shooting 216 and junior Trisha Quick placed seventh a year ago. The Rams have two runner-up finishes on their resume this season, including the Mountain View Collegiate, and are led by senior Dawna Virdell's 76.86 stroke average.
* Wyoming (No. 146/149) has struggled this season. The Cowgirls' best result this season was a third-place finish at the Cal Poly Invitational. Freshman Kayla Morrison has been Wyoming's top player this year with an 79.83 average.
Mountain West History Lesson
* New Mexico has dominated the first four years of the MWC Championship, claiming the team title by at least 11 shots in each of the first three years before coming back to defeat UNLV last year by one stroke. Since the tournament moved to the Meadows Course at the Sunriver Resort in 2001, SDSU has finished second the first two years before falling to fifth last season.
* The Lobos own 11 of the 12 records the MWC has kept for its championship. However, UNM individuals have won medalist honors only twice with Ryley Webb's 2001 title and Katrina Leckovic's championship last season. Individuals from three different schools have won the MWC, including then-freshman Lynette Duran of CSU in 2002, who returns this season as a junior and Jordan Lintz from Wyoming who owns the record for largest winning margin of three in 2000.
* Last season, snow forced the first round of the tournament to be pushed back a day, then delayed more than four hours before eventually moving to nearby Aubrey Glen Golf Course in Bend, Ore. The change of venue hurt SDSU as they fired a 321, its worst score ever in MWC Championship competition. Back at Sunriver Resort for the second round, the Aztecs recovered to shoot 301 but could not make up enough ground to move up the leaderboard and finished fifth after a final round 312.
* New Mexico shot a MWC record 280 in the second round to make up an 11-stroke first round deficit to UNLV. The Lobos then posted a 294 in the final round for a one-stroke victory and its fourth straight title. UNM's Katrina Leckovic earned medalist honors after posting a 216, including a tournament record 67 in the second round. Leckovic returns this season to defend her title, as does Sunny Oh of UNLV and Kailin Downs of UNM who finished second and third, respectively.
MacRae Continues Strong Play
* Heather MacRae (Dunblane, Scotland (McLennan CC) posted her third straight top-10 finish at the BYU Dixie Classic as she shot 223 to finish fifth. MacRae leads SDSU in the spring with a 74.83 stroke average and is second for the season at 75.39.
* MacRae was named the MWC golfer of the month for March after posting top-10 results in both of SDSU's tournaments. MacRae recorded a career best second-place finish at the Dr. Thompson Invitational in Kaneohe, Hawai'i, and led SDSU to a runner-up finish. She followed that performance with a seventh place finish at the Mountain View Collegiate in Tucson, Ariz. MacRae shot five-over 221 in both events, her second best 54-hole score of the year. She also posted three rounds of even par 72. Overall, MacRae has recorded six rounds of par or better this season, which leads the team.
* MacRae leads SDSU with five top-10 finishes and six top-20 finishes in eight tournaments this year. Her best score of the year, a 219, came at the Las Vegas Intercollegiate to finish sixth against a tough field. MacRae has also been incredibly consistent, recording 20 straight rounds of 79 or better, the longest streak on the team, which dates back to the first tournament of the season. MacRae has been climbing the rankings and is currently 102nd in Golfstat's listings.
Fabulous Freshman Jenna Wilson
* Freshman Jenna Wilson (Strathaven, Scotland/ Strathaven Academy) has posted some incredible numbers in her first season on the Mesa. She currently leads SDSU with a 75.04 stroke average, which is the best in school history and ranks fifth in the MWC this season.
* Wilson also won the Aztec Invitational in the fall by shattering the SDSU 54-hole scoring record by six strokes when she fired a five-under 211. A SDSU-record 67 in the second round propelled Wilson to the first victory for an Aztec since 2000. She also set the 36-hole scoring record two weeks before when she shot 145, including a second round 68, to place second at the Heather Farr Memorial.
* The spring results have also been eye-catching as Wilson has tallied three straight top-20 finishes including a second and fourth to finish the regular season. Overall, Wilson has led the Aztecs in scoring a team-high four times and has five top-20 finishes. She is currently the Aztecs top-ranked player at No. 72 by Golfstat.
Kim Makes The Difference
* Sandy Kim (West Linn, Ore./West Linn HS) entered the year having not missed a single tournament in her three years at SDSU, but a back injury suffered at the Aztec Invitational has kept the senior out of action in four of the last five tournaments. Kim's health is vital as her experience and ability to post low scores may be the catalyst for SDSU's postseason aspirations.
* Before the injury, Kim had played seven rounds and recorded three scores of par or better. Her best result was an 11th-place finish at the Heather Farr Memorial with a five-over 149. Kim's 75.86 stroke average in the fall was the third best on the team.
* Kim did make an effort to play at the Mountain View Collegiate in March and found mixed success. She opened with a three-over par 75 in the opening 18 holes and sat out the afternoon round for precautionary reasons. Kim fired an 84 in the final round, which tied the highest score of her career, showing that she was still not back to full strength. Over the last few weeks leading up to the championship, Kim has been playing without pain and hopes to be back to her old form this weekend.
Miyajima: The Steady Force
* Senior Shayna Miyajima (Wailuku, Hawaii/Baldwin HS) is seeking her third straight top-10 finish at the MWC Championships after finishing ninth last year and fourth in 2002, she has helped lead the Aztecs to two runner-up finishes in her career. Miyajima has played in every tournament for SDSU over the past three seasons and 35 in her career.
* Miyajima has recorded a career-low 75.96 stroke average this season and currently ranks ninth in the MWC. She has posted four top-20 finishes and led SDSU in scoring twice. Last year, she topped SDSU with a 76.68 average and has a career stroke average of 77.34.
Head Coach Felicia Brown
* Head coach Felicia Brown is in her second season at the helm of the SDSU golf program after serving as assistant coach in 2002. Brown prepped locally at San Marcos High School before playing collegiately at Arizona. She also boasts professional playing and teaching experience on the Players' West Golf Tour and the LPGA teaching division.