April 13, 2011
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LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV women's golf team hits the road this week for the Mountain West Conference Championship tournament, held on the Red/Heritage Course at the Wigwam Resort in Phoenix, Ariz., Thursday through Saturday.
UNLV is expected to compete for the tournament championship, which would mark the fourth in program history. The Rebels were back-to-back-back champions from 2004-06, joining New Mexico as the only two teams to win at least three in a row.
The Rebels are one of three MWC teams entering the tournament ranked in the top 50 in this week's Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, checking in at 49th. TCU ranks 32nd while San Diego State is 43rd.
"We are excited to start play at the MWC Championship this week," said first-year head coach Amy Bush. "Our team has been improving with each tournament this spring and we have been enjoying successful practice sessions leading up to this event. We are looking forward to a great week of Rebel golf here in Phoenix."
UNLV has recorded eight top-10 finishes this season in 11 tournaments and is led by MWC Player of the Year candidate Therese Koelbaek.
Koelbaek leads the conference in scoring average at 72.26, a stroke and a half ahead of Brooke Beeler from TCU and has posted nine top-eight finishes this season. Koelbaek has earned the MWC Golfer of the Month honor three times this season and six times in her career, one shy of the all-time record. She has recorded 10 rounds under par and her low single round of 67 is the third-best in the MWC this year.
Joining Koelbaek this week will be Alejandra Guacaneme, Katerina Prorokova, Ellis Kennan and Bethany Glassford. Guacaneme ranks second on the team in scoring average (77.04) and will be looked to provide valuable senior leadership in addition to strong play in Phoenix.
Keenan has enjoyed a solid spring which includes a top-15 finish at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational in Honolulu in mid-March. Consistency has been her game as she has not fluctuated more than 10 strokes in any tournament this season.
The lone freshman in the lineup, Prorokova looks to regain her early spring form which led to back-to-back top-25 finishes at the UNLV Spring Invitational and the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational. Glassford worked her way into the starting five this spring and has contributed to the Rebels' success every week. Her low round of 68 on the year is just one stroke off Koelbaek's team-leading 67.
The three-day tournament will get underway tomorrow, with the first tee time coming at 7 a.m. for New Mexico and Wyoming. UNLV will go off starting at 7:45 a.m. and is paired with BYU for the first round.
