Sept. 16, 2001
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STORYLINE: After cancelling its trip to Albuquerque, N.M., to play in the Dick McGuire Invitational this week, the brand new UNLV women's golf team will now play for the first time at the Mason Rudolph Championship in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, Sept. 17. The 54-hole tournament will be played over two days, with 36 holes to be played on Monday and the final 18 set for Tuesday, Sept. 18. The tournament, hosted by Vanderbilt University, will be played on the Ironhorse Course (Par 72--6,223 Yards) at The Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn.
ABOUT UNLV: The Rebels are still looking for their first-ever competition. However, despite the lack of established tradition, UNLV head coach Kelley Hester landed a solid recruiting class made up of some of the top junior players in the country. Three of the new Rebels -- freshmen Hwanhee Lee, Tina Mabanta and Young Pak -- have been ranked among the top 50 juniors in the last year. Hester also signed native Las Vegan Erin Borcherts, who transferred to her hometown school after two seasons at Oregon State.
FIELD: The Rebels waste no time in facing some of the top competition in the country as eight of the 15 teams are ranked among the Golfweek top 50. The field consists of: Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Furman, Mississippi, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, LSU, Ohio State, Oregon State, Tulane, UNLV, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest.
LINEUP: UNLV's lineup for the Mason Rudolph Championship will be junior Erin Borcherts and freshmen Ayeesha Kosugi, Hwanhee Lee, Tina Mabanta, and Angela Olivarri.
HEAD COACH KELLEY HESTER: UNLV women's golf head coach Kelley Hester begins her first season as UNLV's head coach and second overall as a head coach. The University of Georgia graduate spent one season at the helm at Mercer University before returning to her alma mater as an assistant coach for two seasons. Hester was a four-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs, earning All-SEC accolades three times and Academic All-America kudos twice.
RESULTS: Complete results from the Mason Rudolph Championship can be found online following each round at unlvrebels.com.
UP NEXT: Following the Mason Rudolph, the Rebels return home to practice before heading to Corvallis, Ore., to play in the Oregon State Shanico Invitational, Oct. 8-10.
