SAN DIEGO – Aztec golfers Bernice Olivarez Ilas and Sara Kjellker will be competing in the NCAA Regionals as individuals in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the UNM Championship Course Monday through Wednesday (May 9-11).
Kjellker (Hollviken, Sweden) was just named to the All-Mountain West First Team, marking her fifth all-conference selection (a school record) and her fourth time making the first time. Kjellker was SDSU's top golfer this year, leading the team in average 18-hole score (73.9), rounds below par (9) and count percentage (.960). She finished in the top 20 a team-high five times, and in the top 10 on three occasions.
Olivarez Ilas (Ayala Alabang, Philippines) was selected to the All-Mountain West Second Team. She is coming off a sixth-place finish at the Mountain West Championships, her third top 10 finish on the year. She is second on the team with a 74.2 18-hole average, rounds below par (6) and count percentage (.920). She finished the season in the top two among SDSU golfers in four of their last five tournaments.
Kjellker and Olivarez Ilas need to finish as one of the top two individuals that isn't on an advancing team (top four) to move on to the NCAA Championships May 20-25 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The Championship Course at the University of New Mexico (Par 72, 6,414 yards) is consistently recognized as one of the top-25 public courses in the nation. The course sits at an elevation of 5,300 feet and boasts fairways that stretch out long and wide, bobbing up and down, both right and left – all factors that make it difficult to reach the rolling, well-manicured greens.
This will be Kjellker's fifth time playing The Championship Course in her SDSU career. In her four previous tournaments, she averaged a 216.5 54-hole score for an 18-hole average of 72.17. However, she finished under par in each of her last two times playing there (213 and 214), earning top 10 on both occasions. She tied her career-best 18-hole score when she shot a 66 in her second round there in September.
Olivarez Ilas has played the course twice and shot a 215 (-1) back in September. In her other appearance in 2019, she finished with a 221 (+5).
In Kjellker's last two NCAA Regional appearances, she has shot a 215 (2021 – Stanford) and 216 (2019 – Cle Elum), which are two of the top four championship scores in program history.
The Aztec duo will be paired together for the entire tournament and will tee off on the first hole at 8:50 a.m. PT (9:50 a.m. PT) Monday and at 7:55 a.m. PT (8:55 a.m. MT) on Tuesday and Wednesday. The forecast calls for sunny skies with temperatures reaching the high 80s and high winds.
Kjellker & Olivarez Ilas Competing at NCAA Regionals
