UNLV women’s golf team invited to NCAA regional
For the eighth year in a row, UNLV’s women’s golf team will play in May.
The Rebels received a bid to the NCAA Tournament on Monday and will play in the West Regional at Stanford, Calif., on May 6 to 8. If they finish in the top eight, they’ll advance to the NCAA Championships, May 18 to 21 in Wilmington, N.C.
UNLV is one of 24 teams in the West Region, where UCLA, the nation’s No. 1 women’s program, is seeded first. The Rebels, ranked No. 38 according to Golfweek magazine, are seeded No. 13.
“We’re thrilled to be staying West,” UNLV coach Missy Ringler said. “We’ve played there a lot over the years and (Stanford Golf Course) is a course we’ve played well on before. The key is keeping it in the fairway because it’s a tight course with high rough. But if we play to our capabilities, we definitely can finish in the top eight.”
The Rebels are coming off a disappointing fourth-place showing at the Mountain West Championships at Monterey, Calif., on April 17. UNLV finished 30 shots behind champion New Mexico.
The one positive to come out of the MWC tournament was the play of junior Therese Koelbaek, who tied for eighth and earned her third straight all-conference honor.
“We’re not even thinking about what happened (at the MWC),” Ringler said. “With our ranking, I knew we’d make the NCAA, so our focus has been on getting ready for the regionals.”
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.