Sept. 8, 2003
For the first time in school history, UNLV has not one but two golf teams ranked in the top 20.
Both the men's and women's golf teams earned spots in the top 20 of Golfweek's preseason rankings, released Monday. The men checked in at No. 8 while the women claimed their highest-ever ranking at No. 20.
"We're always pleased to be recognized," men's golf head coach Dwaine Knight said. "Our goal is to be competitive and contend at the end of the year, but it's nice to have the recognition. I think with four returning players, if we keep improving, we have a shot to get to the top of the list by the end of the year."
After finishing last season ranked ninth in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, the men's ranking hardly comes as a surprise. But the Rebel women will begin the campaign 12 spots better than their season-ending notch at No. 32.
"We feel like we've worked incredibly hard and come a long way in the past year, and to be acknowledged for that really makes me proud," women's golf head coach Missy Ringler said.
Additionally, the magazine honored several individuals on both teams. On the men's side, Ryan Moore of Puyallup, Wash., was named a second-team preseason All-American, and newcomer Sam Hunt of Rotorua, New Zealand, was declared a "Freshman To Watch."
For the Lady Rebels, Sunny Oh of Seoul, Korea, was a third-team preseason All-American, and Seema Sadekar of Aurora, Ontario, was also a Freshman To Watch.
The Rebel men's team opens the 2003-04 season on Sept. 12 at the Tucker Intercollegiate in Albuquerque, N.M., while the women begin play on Sept. 15 at the Northwest Invite in Sunriver, Ore.
GOLFWEEK MEN'S PRESEASON TOP 251. Clemson2. UCLA3. Florida4. Oklahoma State5. Georgia6. Arizona State7. Texas8. UNLV9. Augusta State10. Georgia Tech11. Arizona12. TCU13. North Carolina14. Washington15. Arkansas16. USC Southern Cal17. Pepperdine18. North Carolina St.19. Wake Forest20. New Mexico21. Auburn22. East Tennessee St.23. South Carolina24. Minnesota25. Tennessee
GOLFWEEK PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANSFirst TeamBill Haas, Sr., Wake ForestCasey Wittenberg, Fr., Oklahoma St.Matt Hendrix, Sr., ClemsonCamilo Villegas, Sr., FloridaChris Nallen, Sr., ArizonaBrock Mackenzie, Sr., WashingtonAlejandro Canizares, So., Arizona State.Peter Tomasulo, Sr., CaliforniaJason Hartwick, Sr., TexasDustin Bray, Sr., North Carolina
Second TeamSteve Conway, Sr., UCLAAndrew Dahl, Sr., ArkansasJack Ferguson, Jr., ClemsonDavid Inglis, Sr., TulsaGregg Jones, Sr., ClemsonJohn Merrick, Sr., UCLARyan Moore, Jr., UNLVJustin Smith, Sr., MinnesotaChris Stroud, Sr., LamarEmmett Turner, Jr., Augusta St.
Third TeamDavid Denham, Jr., GeorgiaBrad Heaven, Sr., ToledoKevin Kisner, So., GeorgiaAdam Meyer, Sr., TCUMichael Putnam, Jr., PepperdineChez Reavie, Sr., Arizona St.Matt Rosenfeld, So., TexasDavid Skinns, Jr., TennesseeNick Thompson, Jr., Georgia TechJames Vargas, So., Florida
GOLFWEEK WOMEN'S PRESEASON TOP 251. Duke2. UCLA3. Ohio State4. Oklahoma State5. Texas6. Vanderbilt7. Tennessee8. Arizona9. Florida10. Georgia11. New Mexico12. South Carolina13. Auburn14. USC15. Pepperdine16. California17. Tulane18. Tulsa19. North Carolina20. UNLV21. Stanford22. Washington23. Kent State24. Wake Forest25. TCU
GOLFWEEK PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANSFirst TeamErica Blasberg, So., ArizonaVirada Nirapathpongporn, Sr., DukeElizabeth Janangelo, So., DukeCharlotte Mayorkas, Jr., UCLAVioleta Retamoza, So., TennesseeKristen White, Jr., Ohio StateAimee Cho, So., FloridaKarin Sjodin, So., Oklahoma StateAnnie Thurman, Jr., Oklahoma StateKailin Downs, Jr., New Mexico
Second TeamKaren Dennison, Sr., IndianaAllison Hanna, Sr., Ohio StateLeigh Anne Hardin, Sr., DukeSarah Huarte, Sr., CaliforniaCarolina Llano, So., PepperdineLisa Meldrum, Sr., OklahomaJanice Olivencia, Sr., TexasDiana Ramage, Sr., AuburnJessica Shepley, Jr., TennesseeCourtney Wood, Sr., Vanderbilt
Third TeamNiloufar Aazam-Zanganeh, Jr., DukeMeaghan Francella, Sr., North CarolinaKelly Froelich, So., GeorgiaLeah Hart, So., AuburnBrittany Lang, Fr., DukeLindsay Morgan, Sr., WashingtonSunny Oh, So., UNLVAshley Prange, Sr., North CarolinaBrooke Tull, Sr., TCUKim Welch, Jr., Washington State
