March 19, 2006
With its last tournament taking place one month ago, The University of Texas-Pan American women's golf team has had plenty of time to prepare for the UTSA Rowdy Round-Up in San Antonio, TX, on Monday (Mar. 20).
After finishing 14th overall at the Islander Spring Classic in their last tournament, head coach Barb Odale feels that the odds could be in the Lady Broncs' favor by looking at the teams participating in the UTSA Rowdy Round-Up.
"We are looking to win," said Odale. "It's not an unrealistic goal for us by looking at the field, but we have to go out there and play the game. We have to worry about ourselves, and if we do then we have a great shot at being at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the tournament."
Some of the teams the Lady Broncs will be up against are the familiar faces of Oklahoma City University, University of Detroit Mercy, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Texas State, Lamar, along with Texas A&M- Corpus Christi.
The Lady Broncs are coming off a sluggish finish at the Islander Spring Classic where they competed against the talents of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Redlands Community College, University of North Texas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Bradley University.
Nikki Boychuk (Conroe, TX/Willis H.S.) topped the Lady Broncs with a tournament score of 238 (86-75-77), tying her for 38th place. The UTPA senior was the only Lady Bronc to shoot in the 70s during the third round of competition.
Daniela Cortes (Aguascalientes, Mexico/Colegio Portugal) was not far behind, posting a tournament total of 241 (82-75-84) while tying for 45th overall. Stefanie Maynard (Pflugerville, TX/Pflugerville H.S.) collected a three-round tally of 243 (75-80-85) en route to finishing 48th overall.
"The biggest hurdle that the girls are going to have to overcome is forgetting about the last tournament. We have to wipe the slate clean and focus in on one shot at a time and playing consistent golf instead of worrying about mechanics," added Odale.
Throughout the fall season and the beginning of the spring campaign, the Lady Broncs have been looking for an underclassman to step up and take control of the fourth and fifth spots in the lineup. Odale believes the newcomer Bronwyn Sandberg (St. Albert, Alberta, Canada/Bellerose Composite H.S.) has shown signs of taking over that fourth spot.
"Bronwyn is looking good, and she is hitting the ball well. I think that she's ready to go out there and focus on putting together good, consistent rounds, and if she does then she'll be able to really help us out," added Odale.
Odale will be looking for either Melissa Uriegas (Edinburg, TX/PJSA North H.S) or Natalie Haime (Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada/Perth and District Collegiate Institute) to step in for the fifth spot in the lineup during the UTSA Rowdy Round-Up. In the last tournament, Uriegas finished 86th overall while Haime was one spot back in 87th place.
The UTPA head coach believes that the conditions at the Islander Spring Classic took its toll on the Lady Broncs, but she is expecting her squad to be prepared for a strong run in their second tournament of the spring season.
"Nobody played really well, but Nikki played the best obviously because she was the lowest on the team. I think with it being our first tournament, and the fact that it was cold might have been factors in our play. We get so spoiled down here with the weather, and the girls weren't use to it and weren't prepared for those conditions. I think that we'll be better prepared for this tournament," said Odale.
The Lady Broncs will begin the UTSA Rowdy Round-Up on Monday (Mar. 20) and will conclude the three-round tournament on Tuesday at the Buckhorn Golf Course.
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