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MWC Golfer of the Month Shayna Miyajima and the Aztecs are part of a 23-team field at the Dixie Classic that includes 20 other schools from the West region.
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Aztecs Wrap Up Regular Season, Look For Another Top-Four Finish In Utah
Women's golf needs success against regional field at Utah Dixie Classic to keep NCAA regional prospects alive.
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April 3, 2003 SAN DIEGO -
With three straight top-four finishes under its belt to begin the spring season, the San Diego State women's golf team has a final chance to build on its potential NCAA Regionals profile as part of a 23-team regional field at the April 7-8 Utah Dixie Classic.
Held at the Sunbrook Golf Course and hosted by MWC rival Brigham Young, the Dixie Classic will be held on three different links: The Point (5,882 yards), Woodbridge (5,911) and Blackrock (5,939). It is a three-round event, with 27 holes played each day beginning with an 8 a.m. MST shotgun start.
The Team Focus...
Not only is the Dixie Classic the last regular-season tournament for SDSU, it is a chance for the Aztecs to record head-to-head victories against fellow "bubble" teams for NCAA regional selection. The Aztecs are currently ranked 24th in the West according to the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings, and 10 Dixie Classic competitors are ranked ahead of SDSU while 10 are ranked behind. Each of the three NCAA regionals will be made up of 21 teams, including automatic bids for 19 conference tournament champions.
A pair of MWC teams are among the top three ranked squads in the field: No. 33/35 UNLV and host No. 48/53 BYU, as well as No. 43/50 San Francisco. The field is characterized by an abundance of mid-level ranked teams; behind the aforementioned squads, there are 12 teams rated between Nos. 50-99 by Golfweek. Despite its early spring success, San Diego State has climbed only 17 and 11 spots in the Golfweek/Sagarin and Golfstat ratings, respectively, but the Aztecs are playing their best golf of the season and possess a 17-16-1 overall head-to-head record against the rest of the field.
Dixie Classic Field 3/31 4/1 SDSU Record
Team Rankings Golfweek Golfstat vs. In 02-03
San Diego State 82nd 85th
Boise State 99th 99th 1-0
Brigham Young 48th 53rd 0-3
Campbell 60th 56th 1st meeting
Colorado 70th 72nd 2-1
Colorado State 62nd 62nd 2-2
CSU Northridge 87th 94th 0-1-1
Denver 67th 76th 0-1
Hawai'i 127th 122nd 3-0
Idaho 85th 88th 2-0
Idaho State 179th 176th 1st meeting
Long Beach State 74th 78th 0-1
Mesa State n/r 34th(DII) 1st meeting
Montana 144th 137th 1st meeting
Montana State 138th 131st 1-0
Nevada 50th 55th 1-0
Portland State 104th 108th 1-0
San Francisco 43rd 50th 0-1
UC Irvine 64th 65th 0-2
UNLV 33rd 35th 0-3
Washington State 65th 69th 0-1
Weber State 120th 124th 1-0
Wyoming 142nd 133rd 3-0
UC Irvine is the defending champion of the event after racking up a 35-over total of 899 to take a nine-shot win over Idaho. SDSU shot a first-round 303 and was in fourth place, but dropped to a 10th-place finish on the final day.
... And The Individual Spotlight
Much like the team field, the individual competition consists of several mid-range rated players. UNLV's Sunny Oh (No. 87) is the only top-100 Golfweek/Sagarin golfer in the field, but there are 19 others in the top 250 including 12 ranked between Nos. 104-141. On the strength of three straight top-13 results to start the spring, junior Shayna Miyajima has ascended to No. 225. Fellow junior Sandy Kim is now ranked No. 296.
UC Irvine's duo of Walailak Satarak and Stella Lee shared medalist honors at the 2002 Dixie Classic with a 2-under total of 214. Lee returns to defend her title this season. Departed senior Heather Rollo had the top SDSU result last season in 15th place, while four other current Aztecs competed last season: Miyajima tied for 29th at 234, Jennifer Hoene shared 33rd place with 236, Kim earned a share of 41st at 237 and Claire Riley was 98th at 255.
Miyajima Named MWC Golfer Of The Month
Junior Shayna Miyajima (Wailuku, Hawaii/Baldwin HS) was named the first Mountain West Conference Women's Golfer of the Month for the spring season. Miyajima registered back-to-back career-best second-place finishes as well as a tie for 13th place in leading the Aztecs to three consecutive top-four results to begin the spring.
After a fall season in which she averaged a team-best 77.64 strokes per round but registered only one top-20 result, Miyajima has caught fire to begin the spring of her junior season and correspondingly sparked the Aztecs in the process. In the span of three events and eight rounds to begin the spring, Miyajima has recorded her best result (2nd at the Oregon Duck) matched her best collegiate round (1-under 71 at the Mountain View), registered her top 54-hole score (223 at the Oregon Duck) and come within a penalty shot of her first collegiate title at the Lady Aztec.
Around The Green
The Aztecs have three straight top-four finishes for the first time since beginning the fall of 2000 with four straight top-three results.
Four of SDSU's five regular starters have lowered their stroke averages from the fall to the spring. Hoene's improvement is the most dramatic, as she has dropped 3.5 strokes (80.50 to 77.00), followed by Miyajima (-3.14, 77.64 to 74.50), Toni Lutz (-2.92, 84.67 to 81.75) and Kim (-1.96, 77.71 to 75.75). The consistent Riley is the only golfer whose average has not improved, as she has a steady 79.88 average in the spring after a 79.50 average in the fall.
Utah Dixie Classic
Hosted by: Brigham Young
Site: Sunbrook Golf Course - St. George, Utah
Dates: Apr. 7-8
Par: 72
Yardage: The Point (5,882), Woodbridge (5,911), Blackrock (5,939)
The Field: San Diego State, Boise St., BYU, Campbell, Colorado, Colorado St., CSU Northridge, Denver, Hawai'i, Idaho, Idaho St., Long Beach St., Mesa St., Montana, Montana St., Nevada, Portland St., San Francisco, UC Irvine, UNLV, Washington St., Weber St., Wyoming
2002-03 Averages Avg. Rds.
Shayna Miyajima* 76.50 22
Sandy Kim* 77.00 22
Jennifer Hoene * 79.10 20
Claire Riley* 79.64 22
Toni Lutz* 83.29 17
Brittany Bailey 85.60 5
Cameron MacFarland 86.00 2
* Starter at the Utah Dixie Classic
Golfweek/Sagarin (3/31)
1. Duke
2. Pepperdine
3. Oklahoma State
4. Texas
5. USC
6. Arizona
7. Vanderbilt
8. Auburn
9. California
10. Tennessee
82. San Diego State
GCAA Poll (2/26)
1. Auburn
2. Arizona
3. Duke
4. Vanderbilt
5. Oklahoma State
6. Pepperdine
7. Texas
8. USC
9. California
10. Tennessee
Golfstat (4/1)
1. Duke
2. Pepperdine
3. USC
4. Arizona
5. Oklahoma State
6. Texas
7. Vanderbilt
8. Auburn
9. California
10. Tennessee
85. San Diego State
Golf World Poll (3/28)
1. Duke
2. Pepperdine
3. Auburn
4. Arizona
5. Oklahoma State
6. Texas
7. USC
8. Florida
9. Vanderbilt
10. Tennessee
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