University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Complete Fall Season in Vegas
10/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
2010 Las Vegas Showdown: Minnesota will head to Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend to participate in its last event of the fall, the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown at Boulder Creek Golf Club.
Joining the Gophers in the 17 team field will be Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado State, East Carolina, Idaho, Kent State, Louisville, Missouri, New Mexico, Oregon, San Diego State, San Jose, UC Irvine, UNLV, Washington, and Washington State.
The Collegiate Showdown features a wealth of top-ranked teams, as nine of the participating schools are currently ranked in the top 50 of the Golfweek/Saragin rankings, including Minnesota at 45th in the country. Arizona (11) and Arkansas (15) are amongst the top-20 teams in the nation followed by Oregon (30), Louisville (35), UNLV (36), Washington (38), San Diego State (40) and East Carolina (49).
Within the 17-team field are 11 of the top-100 individuals according to the Golfweek/Saragin rankings, including Minnesota's Teresa Puga (95). UNLV's Therese Koelbaek is the top ranked individual in the field at 18th in the nation.
Minnesota has been a part of the Las Vegas Showdown field the last three seasons. The squad opened the 2008 showdown by posting a combined score of 289, which at the time was the second lowest round in the history of Gopher golf and the lowest since 1992.
The Gophers finished in a tie for 14th place in last year's event but Puga finished in a tie for sixth, her first of seven top-10 finishes on the season with a 54-hole score of 220 (+4).
The Gophers: The Gophers boast one of the most experienced lineups in the nation when all four seniors tee it up. Mary Narzisi has appeared in 34 career tournaments followed by Puga with 33, Michele Edlin with 31 and Sommers with 28. Sophomore Jackie Shepherd is a veteran as well, having played in 10 of the team's 11 events last season as a freshman and has been in the lineup for all three of the Gophers' previous tournaments this season.
Last Time Out: Beginning the weekend ranked 39th in the country by Golfweek, the Gophers recorded an eighth place finish at the Lady Northern in Glencoe, Ill. Playing in their third event of the season, Minnesota recorded rounds of 303, 298, and 305 to finish with a 54-hole score of 906.
Puga, who entered the final round in a tie for fifth, finished tied for 11th after a final round 76. Fellow senior Samantha Sommers earned a tie for 22nd. Her 54-hole total of 223 was the lowest of her season thus far.
Narzisi finished in a tied for 30th place. Shepherd concluded the event in a tie for 48th place while tied for 52nd. Freshman Banchalee Theinthong, playing in her first career collegiate event, also finished in a tie for 52nd.
Up Next: Minnesota will open the spring portion of its schedule on Feb. 13-15 at the UCF Challenge in Sorrento, Fla. The Gophers will play in five regular-season events in the spring before taking part in the 2011 Big Ten Championships on Apr. 22-24.
Players Mentioned
