April 22, 2015
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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. - The San Diego State women's golf team secured its first-ever conference title Wednesday after shooting a 1-under-par 287 during the final round the 2015 Mountain West Championship at Mission Hills Country Club. The Aztecs finished the three-day, 54-hole event with a combined 12-over 876, topping New Mexico (+17) by five strokes on the par-72, 6,291-yard Dinah Shore Tournament Course.
"Bringing the conference championship trophy home to San Diego State for the first time ever in women's golf is an incredible honor," said fourth-year Aztec head coach Leslie Spalding. "This team is capable of accomplishing many great things, and today they proved it. They will always be the first conference champions in women's golf at SDSU, and their legacy will last forever."
The Aztecs boasted three players in the top 15 on the individual leaderboard, led by Mila Chaves (Asuncion, Paraguay), who tied for the top spot in regulation with New Mexico's Manon Molle at 4-under 210, before falling on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
Chaves entered the day with a three-shot advantage over her Molle, but was unable to avoid a playoff after carding a 70, while her UNM counterpart posted the field's final-round low of 67. The SDSU freshman carded five birdies against three bogeys, but Molle closed the gap with a spot-free day, draining five birdies of her own to go with 13 pars.
The two golfers returned to the 18th hole for the sudden-death playoff, where Molle sank a birdie putt to claim medalist honors, while Chaves made par.
Despite the outcome, Chaves still established an Aztec record for lowest 54-hole score in a conference tournament, eclipsing Jenna Wilson's total of 215 set in 2004 at Sunriver, Oregon. In addition, the native Paraguayan matched SDSU's highest finish at the event after Christine Wong tied for first as well in 2012 at Litchfield Park, Arizona.
Not to be outdone, Emma Henrikson (Malmö, Sweden) posted her second straight top-five performance at the MW Championship after tying for the fourth position with a collective 1-over 217. Henrikson, who landed in the runner-up spot a year ago, equaled Chaves' effort with a 70 of her own on Wednesday, highlighted by three birdies, including the Aztecs' lone conversions of the day at Nos. 12 and 18, which ranked among the toughest holes of the final round. With her effort, the SDSU junior finished seven strokes in back of the leaders with San José State's Megan Osland, one shot behind Dana Finkelstein of UNLV (E), who wound up in the third spot.
Meanwhile, Paige Spiranac (Scottsdale, Ariz.) tied for 14th at 9-over 225 after firing a 76 over the final 18 holes. The Aztec senior captain was 4-over at the turn on Wednesday, but played even par on the back nine, offsetting two bogeys with a pair of birdies, including a crucial make on the par-4, 351-yard No. 15, which played as the third-most difficult hole of the final round.
Sirene Blair (South Jordan, Utah) also figured in SDSU's final tally, saving her best round for last with a 71. The Aztec sophomore, who endured a sluggish start with atypical scores of 84 and 81 over her first 36 holes, found her rhythm on Wednesday, carding two birdies compared to just one bogey. Blair reeled off 12 consecutive pars during one stretch to climb nine places into 34th at 20-over 236.
Rounding out the Aztec delegation was freshman Georgia Lacey (Del Mar, Calif.), who posted a final-round 78 to finish the championship in a tie for 24th at 15-over 231. The Torrey Pines High alumnus was plagued by eight bogeys, but managed to finish relatively strong with a pair of birdies on her final three holes in her first conference tournament action.
"Mila played great golf today and so did Emma," Spalding said. "The resiliency of Sirene to play very poorly in the beginning and finish under par in the final round is also something very special. I am so proud of this team."
With its MW title, SDSU clinched the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Regionals, scheduled for May 7-9, at four different venues. In addition, the Aztec athletic department has now won six team championships during the 2014-15 academic year, joining women's soccer (Mountain West regular season, tournament), women's swimming and diving (MW) and men's basketball (MW regular season) and water polo (Golden Coast regular season). Since the start of the 2012-13 season, San Diego State has claimed 25 conference team championships.
The 24th-ranked Aztecs will await word of their postseason destination when NCAA regional bids are announced Monday, April 27 at 5 p.m. PT on The Golf Channel. This year's regional sites and host schools include St. George, Utah (BYU), San Antonio, Texas (UTSA), South Bend, Ind. (Notre Dame) and Raleigh, N.C. (North Carolina State).
2015 Mountain West ChampionshipFinal ResultsMission Hills C.C.Dinah Shore Tournament CourseRancho Mirage, Calif.Par 72, 6,291 yards
Team Scores1. San Diego State 288-301-287--876 (+12)2. New Mexico 303-300-278--881 (+17)3. San José State 293-296-297--886 (+22)4. UNLV 299-298-297--894 (+30)5. Nevada 299-296-302--897 (+33)6. Colorado State 304-299-310--913 (+49)T7. Boise State 301-301-313--915 (+51)T7. Fresno State 305-300-303--915 (+51)9. Wyoming 312-325-316--953 (+89)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 45 players + SDSU)T1. Manon Molle, New Mexico* 72-71-67--210 (-6)T1. Mila Chaves, SDSU 66-74-70--210 (-6)3. Dana Finkelstein, UNLV 74-69-73--216 (E)T4. Emma Henrikson, SDSU 75-72-70--217 (+1)T4. Megan Osland, San José State 69-78-70--217 (+1)---T14 Paige Spiranac, SDSU 72-77-76--225 (+9)T24. Georgia Lacey, SDSU 75-78-78--231 (+15)34. Sirene Blair, SDSU 84-81-71--236 (+20)
* - won on first hole of a sudden-death playoff