10/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Oct. 10, 2005
If the UNLV women's golf team simply repeats everything it did last year - which included winning the Mountain West Conference Tournament for a second consecutive season - most people would consider this upcoming season a success.
But as head coach Missy Ringler enters her fourth season at the helm, a successful season will only be complete if the Rebels are able to do the one thing they didn't accomplish last season: advance past the NCAA Regional to the NCAA Championship.
"We have to make it to nationals this year, that is our goal," Ringler said. "It is one thing to make it to a regional, but once you get there, you have to perform. If we get to nationals this year, I think we can do something pretty special."
In just the program's fourth year of competition last season, UNLV won three tournaments (Las Vegas Founders Collegiate Showdown, BYU Dixie Classic and the 2005 MWC Championship), had two players win medalist honors, featured the league's player of the year and advanced to NCAA Regional play for the third consecutive season.
All that success last year, though, was dampened by the fact that UNLV failed to return to the NCAA Championship after advancing to college golf's biggest stage for the first time in 2004.
Ringler and assistant coach Eric Toomey are hungry and determined to take UNLV back to nationals for the second time in the program's five-year history and the pair has a group of seasoned veterans and talented rookies that can take the Rebels there.
Five letterwinners, which include three of the golfers that teed it up at the 2005 MWC Championships, return for the Rebels. The group is led by Elena Kurokawa, the 2005 MWC Player of the Year. She is joined by fellow seniors Erin McGough and Young Pak, junior Seema Sadekar, sophomore Allison Chell, redshirt freshmen Nicole McGirr and Chelsea Pendleton and true freshmen Da Sol Chung and Grace Woo.
"We have an experienced team, much like last year, with two talented freshmen coming in who will have an immediate impact," Ringler said. "As a head coach I have always had a team that has won at least one tournament and a player who has won at least one tournament each season, so I would like to keep that streak going."
Kurokawa started slowly last season but emerged as the squad's top player and one of the best in the conference. Starting with a fifth-place finish at the Las Vegas Collegiate Founders Showdown, the Redondo Beach native finished in the top 10 in six of the next seven tournaments, culminating with her win at the MWC Championships, the first of her career. Kurokawa's 74.56 scoring average last season was the second lowest in Rebel history and as she enters her senior year she has the potential to establish herself as one of the top golfers in the programs short, but impressive history.
"My expectations for Elena are really high, especially coming off the season she just had," Ringler said. "She was awfully close to being named an All-American and I envision her being the top player in the conference again and among the best in the nation."
Pak has fired 81 career rounds and owns the fifth-lowest scoring average, 78.80, in school history entering her final season for the Rebels. Last season she played in 12 events, breaking into the top 20 three times. Her best finish was 15th at the UNLV Spring Invite.
McGough returns for her final season and has been a part of the program since it first started back in 2001. She provides great leadership with her work ethic and played in two tournaments last year.
"Pak will add needed depth to our squad, as she has always been a consistent player," Ringler said. "Erin is a very positive person to have in our program. She is a very hard worker who sets a good example for the rest of the team."
Sadekar is the lone junior on the team and represents one of the top talents the Rebels have. Through her first two years at UNLV the Stouffville, Ontario, native has flashed signs of greatness, but has yet to put together a full season. As a freshman she set the school record at the 2004 MWC Championship, shooting a 66 (-5) during the final round. It was the lowest recorded round in Rebel history and it tied the record for lowest round to par. Last season she had three top-10 finishes, but also had stretches where she struggled on the course. If she can stay consistent throughout the year, Sadekar could make a run at MWC Player of the Year honors.
"Seema hasn't played as well as she can in her first two seasons, and I think she knows that in the back of her mind she needs to step up and have a great junior year," Ringler said. "For the caliber player she is, she needs to set a goal of being on the all-conference team. She also needs to jump the hurdle and get a tournament win and I think if she does that, it will break the barrier and allow her to have a lot of confidence."
The lone sophomore of the team is Chell, who stepped in right away and played as a true freshman. In her first tournament playing in the Rebels lineup, she finished tied for 12th at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational. That would be her highest finish of the season as the Australia native adjusted to college life, collegiate golf and being away from home. The change didn't affect her grades though as she was named to the NGCA Division I All-Scholar Team, the fourth Rebel to earn that accolade.
"Allison had a great fall, but a tough spring last year and she went back to Australia and worked hard on her game and added some length off the tee," Ringler said. "She is very focused, one of the best putters on the team and should have more success this season."
McGirr and Pendleton are two local athletes who redshirted last season after playing for Green Valley High School in Henderson, one of the top prep golf programs in the country. Pendleton will see her first action on the links this year while McGirr may have to wait another year after having ankle surgery over the summer.
Rounding out the squad are the two freshmen, Chung and Woo, who both figure to be prominently involved in the Rebels' success this season.
Chung comes to UNLV as one of the top amateur golfers in Korea and was selected as one of the top eight freshmen in the country by GolfWorld Magazine. Chung competed in the 2004 Nevada Women's Open and finished in a tie for fifth, the best finish by an amateur at the event. A talented player, she will step into UNLV's lineup right away.
Making the same transition will be Woo, who was one of the top junior golfers in the country last year and was ranked as the 14th-best junior golfer by Golfweek Magazine. Woo was a three-time MVP of her high school squad at Burbank High School in California and she also finished in the top-five in three AJGA events during the summer of 2004.
"Both of the freshmen will step into our lineup right away and make an immediate impact. We recruited both of these players to play right away." Ringler said. "Da Sol is a great ball striker and putter and all aspects of her game are solid. Grace is very talented and hits the ball long."
UNLV opens its season on Sept. 26-28 at the Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M., and then travels to Seattle for the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational on Oct. 10-12. The Rebels travel to the Stanford Invitational on Oct. 21-23 and host the Las Vegas Founders Collegiate Showdown on Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at Anthem Country Club.
The Rebels open their spring schedule at the Wildcat Invitational on Feb. 20-21 and then host their second tournament of the year, the UNLV Spring Invite on March 13-15 at Black Mountain Golf Club. A return trip to Arizona for the PING ASU Invitational follows and then UNLV wraps up its regular season with the BYU Dixie Classic, a tournament the Rebels have won the past three years. UNLV will then defend its back-to-back league titles at the MWC Conference Championship on April 20-22 at St. George, Utah.
