April 17, 2008
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -
The San Diego State women's golf team is in seventh place after the first 18 holes of the 2008 Mountain West Conference Championships, posting a 34-over 326 Thursday in Albuquerque, N.M. The Aztecs are just two strokes behind TCU and Colorado State, who are tied for fifth place with a 324 at the par-73, 6,167-yard University of New Mexico Championship Course.
Aztec junior Maki Kamimura (West Covina, Calif.) recorded the team's best round by four strokes, carding a 5-over 78 to tie for 11th place. After bogeying four of the first six holes, the team co-captain rallied with 11 straight pars before finishing the day with a bogey on the par-5 18th. It was the sixth time in seven career MWC tournament rounds that Kamimura had posted a sub-80 score.
SDSU freshman Samantha Roberts (Carlsbad, Calif.), one of three Aztecs making their MWC championship debuts, was the team's second-best golfer on the day, tying for 23rd place with a 9-over 82, including a birdie on the 14th hole. Junior Jackie Kazarian (Dana Point, Calif.), who had an eagle on the 18th hole, is tied with freshman Stephanie Arcala (Oceanside, Calif.) at 10-over 83. Sophomore Petra Cole (San Diego, Calif.) had three double bogeys in the first nine holes and ended up at 11-over 84.
New Mexico, playing on its home course, leads the field by nine strokes with a 6-over 298. The 22nd-ranked Lobos are one of four schools ranked in the top 50 and are followed in the day one standings by No. 30 BYU, which has a one-stroke advantage over third place and 47th-ranked UNLV. Defending individual champion Jodi Ewart of New Mexico was the only golfer to post a sub-par round with a 1-under 72, just one stroke better than UNLV's Therese Koelbaek.
San Diego State will be paired with Colorado State for Friday's second round with tee times beginning at 8:30 a.m. MT.
First-round scores with relation to par April 17, at the 2008 Mountain West Conference Championships, played at the par-73, 6,167-yard UNM University Championship Course in Albuquerque, N.M.
Team Scoring
1 New Mexico 298 (+6) 2 BYU 307 (+15) 3 UNLV 308 (+16) 4 Wyoming 319 (+27) 5 TCU 324 (+32) Colorado State 324 (+32) 7 San Diego State 326 (+34)
Top Five Individuals1 Jodi Ewart, UNM 72 (-1) 2 Therese Koelbaek, UNLV 73 (E) 3 Britney Choy, UNM 74 (+1) Natalia Jimenez, BYU 74 (+1) Jonelle Martinez, Wyo. 74 (+1)
San Diego State T-11. Maki Kamimura 78 (+5) T-23. Samantha Roberts 82 (+9) T-26. Jackie Kazarian 83 (+10) T-26. Stephanie Arcala 83 (+10) T-31. Petra Cole 84 (+11)