April 26, 2014
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. - San Diego State's Emma Henrikson (Malmö, Sweden) finished in a tie for second place on the individual leaderboard Saturday to lead the Aztec women's golf team during the final round of the 2014 Mountain West Championship at Mission Hills Country Club. As a team, SDSU landed in a three-way for third after completing the tournament with a combined total of 45-over 909 at the par-72, 6,324-yard Dinah Shore Tournament Course.
On a breezy day when none of the competitors in the 45-player field shot below par, Henrikson tied for the second-lowest score of the day with a 75, but finished one shot in back of Fresno State's Guðrun Björgsvindottir, who captured medalist honors after both golfers made par on the 521-yard 18th. UNLV's Dana Finkelstein was also in contention down the stretch, but bogeyed her final two holes to tie Henrikson for the runner-up spot at 3-over 219.
Henrikson got off to a quick start with a birdie on her second hole, but was unable to generate further momentum after recording 12 pars and four bogeys the rest of way. Still, the SDSU sophomore managed to climb three places from Friday's round to record her highest finish as an Aztec.
Meanwhile, Paige Spiranac (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished strong as well, posting the lowest round in the field on Saturday with a 2-over 74 to jump five places into a tie for 10th at 9-over 225. The SDSU junior experienced early bogeys at Nos. 2-3, before regrouping with nine pars and two birdies, including an impressive make on the par-3, 151-yard No. 14, which played as the third-toughest hole during the final round. Despite two bogeys on her final four holes, Spiranac still managed to register her highest finish of the season.
Elsewhere, Sirene Blair (South Jordan, Utah) cracked the top 20 in her first conference tournament action, tying for the 17th position after firing a final-round 79. The Aztec freshman suffered five bogeys on her first 10 holes before draining consecutive birdies on Nos. 11-12. However, a pair of bogeys on her ensuing two holes, followed by an untimely double-bogey at No. 17, thwarted her progress up the leaderboard.
In addition, Maria Fernanda Villegas (Ensenada, Mexico) figured into SDSU's final tally, carding an 80 to complete the event in a tie for 29th at 21-over 237. Despite five bogeys and consecutive double-bogeys at Nos. 14 and 15, the Aztec freshman finished strong with two pars sandwiched around at birdie at the 17th to climb five places into a tie for 29th at 21-over 237.
The SDSU delegation also included junior Amy Alston (Mission Viejo, Calif.), who ended the tournament in a tie for 34th a combined 242 after logging a final-round 87.
Despite posting the lowest team score of the third round with a 308, the Aztecs were only able to climb two spots as New Mexico (+38) held off a late charge to capture the team title by one stroke over San José State (+39), while Fresno State (+45) and UNLV (+45) tied SDSU for the third position.
Following the tournament, the league announced the 2014 all-Mountain West women's golf team and individual awards. Emma Henrikson and Sirene Blair were first-team all-conference selections, while Paige Spiranac was a second-team choice. In addition, Blair received freshman of the year honors, becoming the fourth Aztec to earn such distinction along with Malin Enarsson (2009), Christine Wong (2010) and Henrikson (2013).
For the second straight year, Henrikson and Spiranac garnered all-MW accolades, while Blair collected her first all-conference award. Henrikson led the squad with a 74.13 stroke average during the regular season, which ranked sixth in the league, while Blair (74.27) followed close behind in seventh, posting four top-10 finishes on the year, highlighted by medalist honors at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown last October. Spiranac also found herself among the MW leaderboard during the 2013-14 campaign, ranking 14th with a 76.24 stroke average to go with a pair of top-15 finishes.
San Diego State will now await word of a possible NCAA Regional berth when invitations are announced Monday, April 28, at 3 p.m. PDT on the Golf Channel.
2014 Mountain West Women's Golf ChampionshipMission Hills C.C.Dinah Shore Tournament CourseRancho Mirage, Calif.Par 72, 6,324 yardsFinal Results
Team Scores1. New Mexico 295-295-312--902 (+38)2. San José State 294-300-309--903 (+39)T3. San Diego State 293-308-308--909 (+45)T3. Fresno State 296-296-317--909 (+45)T3. UNLV 303-290-316--909 (+45)T5. Boise State 296-305-319--920 (+56)8. Nevada 308-310-310--928 (+64)7. Colorado State 311-305-313--929 (+65)9. Wyoming 310-317-326--953 (+89)---Individual Scores (Top 5 of 45 players + SDSU)1. Guðrun Björgvinsdottir, Fresno State 71-71-76--218 (+2)T2. Emma Henrikson, SDSU 71-73-75--219 (+3)T2. Dana Finkelstein, UNLV 73-69-77--219 (+3)4. Regan De Guzman, San José State 73-72-75--220 (+4)5. Manon Molle, New Mexico 71-71-79--221 (-2)----10. Paige Spiranac, SDSU 72-79-74--225 (+9)T17. Sirene Blair, SDSU 73-78-79--230 (+14)T29. Maria Fernanda Villegas, SDSU 78-79-80--237 (+21)T34. Amy Alston, SDSU 77-78-87--242 (+26)---2013-14 Mountain West Awards
Women's Golfer of the YearDana Finkelstein, UNLV
Freshman of the YearSirene Blair. San Diego State
Coach of the YearJill Trujillo, New Mexico
All-Mountain West First TeamEmma Henrikson, So., San Diego State; Sirene Blair, Fr., San Diego State;
Sammi Stevens, Sr., New Mexico; Dana Finkelstein, Jr., UNLV;
Regan De Guzman, So., San Jose State.
All-Mountain West Second TeamPaige Spiranac, Jr., San Diego State; Madchen Ly, Jr., Fresno State;
Guðrun Björgsvindottir, Fr., Fresno State; Mayko Chwen Wang, Jr., UNLV;
Samantha Martin, So., Boise State, Manon DeRoey, Sr., New Mexico; Manon Rolle, Fr., New Mexico.