March 20, 2004
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STORYLINE: The No. 22 UNLV women's golf team heads out for the third time in a month this week as it travels to Austin, Texas, to compete in the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational. Hosted by the University of Texas, the 54-hole event will span three days at The Hills Country Club (Par 72, 6,248 Yards), beginning on Sunday, March 21. The Rebels climbed to No. 22 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index.
ABOUT UNLV: The Rebels return four starters and eight letterwinners from last season's NCAA Regional-qualifying team. UNLV began the 2003-04 campaign in improbable fashion, winning the Northwest Invite in Sunriver, Ore., by 12 strokes over TCU. Sunny Oh, who held a share of the lead after two rounds, tied for third and was joined in the top 10 by Hwanhee Lee and Seema Sadekar. The Rebels opened the spring portion of the schedule strong as well, finishing fifth at the Wildcat Invitational and defeating four top-25 teams, followed by a runner-up showing at the Spartan Invitational.
THE BETSY RAWLS: This year will mark UNLV's third appearance at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational. The Rebels finished 12th in the program's first year and improved to seventh a year ago. Both Hwanhee Lee and Elena Kurokawa finished in the top 20 in 2003.
THE FIELD: While the Rebels have faced some considerable competition this spring, the field at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational may be the toughest to date as eight top-25 teams will vie for the title. The University of Texas hosts: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Kansas, Kansas State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Purdue, SMU, Southern California, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Tulsa, Vanderbilt and UNLV.
THE LINEUP: The Rebels' five-player lineup for the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational will be Elena Kurokawa, Hwanhee Lee, Sunny Oh, Young Pak and Seema Sadekar.
HEAD COACH Missy Ringler: UNLV women's golf head coach Missy Ringler is in her second year at UNLV. The Bloomington, Ind., native guided the Rebels to their first postseason appearance last season, sent a player to the national championship and produced the school's first All-American in the sport. An All-Big Eight golfer at Iowa State from 1990-95, Ringler spent three years as the head coach at the University of Minnesota before taking over the UNLV program in its second year. She and her husband, Lance, welcomed their new son, Landon, on January 11, 2003.
