Aug. 27, 2008

LAS VEGAS - UNLV sophomore Therese Koelbaek was named as one of the Top 50 Players to Watch this season by Golf World, the publication announced today as part of its preview of the upcoming women's collegiate season.

Koelbaek posted a sensational rookie season for the Rebels last year, winning a pair of tournaments, including tying for medalist honors at the 2008 NCAA West Regional. She was named an honorable mention All-American by Golfweek and was also the Mountain West Conference's Freshman of the Year.

"As a freshman, Therese had one of the best years of any player we have had at UNLV," head coach Missy Ringler said. "She is very mature and besides her talent, her biggest strength may be her consistency from tournament to tournament. She had a great summer and I look for her to carry that over to this season."

Koelbaek, a native of Holte, Denmark, led the league with a 73.38 scoring average and was named the MWC Golfer of the Month for November after winning the USF/Richmond Country Club Invitational. She also turned in three other top-five finishes at tournaments, including a fourth-place tie at the MWC Championships, and she helped lead the Rebels to a 16th-place finish at the 2008 NCAA Championships, the best finish in program history at the national tournament.

UNLV opens its season on Sept. 18 at the 2008 Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational, which is hosted by the University of New Mexico and played at UNM's Championship Course.