University of North Texas Athletics
Akers & Co. Enter Spring With Sights On NCAAs
2/20/2019 9:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
DENTON – The UNT women's golf team might not have a lot of depth entering its spring season, but head coach Michael Akers feels plenty good about the players he has at his disposal as the Mean Green prepare to kick off their spring slate on Monday at The Dickson in The Woodlands.
The Mean Green have just six players on the roster in a game where five players compete in any given tournament and the top four scores count toward the team total. But the roster makeup is a good mix of everything a coach needs.
There is senior leadership in Sabina Pena and Sol Lee and a proven junior who was the top scorer in the fall and last season as a sophomore in Lauren Cox. There is also new blood in 17-year-old freshmen Patricia Sinolungan and Audrey Tan, as well as sophomore Madison Lewis, who has yet to make her tournament debut.
"The 17-year-olds are learning (how to be leaders), so in a couple of years they'll be ready to take over the reins," Akers said. "Their work ethic is contagious for everyone. They work unlike any other girls I've coached in 20 years and that's great to have. It's a diverse group – from all different angles – but they all get along well and they're fun to work with."
Cox, in particular, starred in the fall season as three of her four tournaments ended in top-20 finishes, including two in the top 15 and one top 10. Her outlier was a 26th-place finish at the Betsy Rawls Invitational.
"I feel really good," Cox said about starting the spring slate. "We had our first semester with our new players, and we've gotten to know them really well. We're a really close team. We have the ability to shoot a low score. It'll all come together."
In each of Akers' two previous years at the helm, the Mean Green have climbed considerably in the national rankings, and this year has been no different as UNT is currently ranked No. 84. Akers' goal since his arrival has been to get UNT in the NCAA tournament, and he believes his team has the capability of earning an at-large bid even if it doesn't win the Conference USA championship and the automatic bid that comes with it.
"I feel like with the competition schedule we have, if we play well against the right competition we could still earn an at-large bid to the NCAA," Akers said. "We'll have to take care of business to do that but we host some really good teams here and we have some really good fields we play against. That's what it takes to get your ranking up. You have to play well against those good teams.
"One of the freshmen asked me the other day what it takes to get to nationals, and that's exactly what you want to hear as a coach," Akers added. "Talking about going to the postseason, whether it's at-large or winning our conference, that's our goal. They're definitely of the right mindset. It's a hard working group, and they're fun to be around."
The Mean Green have just six players on the roster in a game where five players compete in any given tournament and the top four scores count toward the team total. But the roster makeup is a good mix of everything a coach needs.
There is senior leadership in Sabina Pena and Sol Lee and a proven junior who was the top scorer in the fall and last season as a sophomore in Lauren Cox. There is also new blood in 17-year-old freshmen Patricia Sinolungan and Audrey Tan, as well as sophomore Madison Lewis, who has yet to make her tournament debut.
"The 17-year-olds are learning (how to be leaders), so in a couple of years they'll be ready to take over the reins," Akers said. "Their work ethic is contagious for everyone. They work unlike any other girls I've coached in 20 years and that's great to have. It's a diverse group – from all different angles – but they all get along well and they're fun to work with."
Cox, in particular, starred in the fall season as three of her four tournaments ended in top-20 finishes, including two in the top 15 and one top 10. Her outlier was a 26th-place finish at the Betsy Rawls Invitational.
"I feel really good," Cox said about starting the spring slate. "We had our first semester with our new players, and we've gotten to know them really well. We're a really close team. We have the ability to shoot a low score. It'll all come together."
In each of Akers' two previous years at the helm, the Mean Green have climbed considerably in the national rankings, and this year has been no different as UNT is currently ranked No. 84. Akers' goal since his arrival has been to get UNT in the NCAA tournament, and he believes his team has the capability of earning an at-large bid even if it doesn't win the Conference USA championship and the automatic bid that comes with it.
"I feel like with the competition schedule we have, if we play well against the right competition we could still earn an at-large bid to the NCAA," Akers said. "We'll have to take care of business to do that but we host some really good teams here and we have some really good fields we play against. That's what it takes to get your ranking up. You have to play well against those good teams.
"One of the freshmen asked me the other day what it takes to get to nationals, and that's exactly what you want to hear as a coach," Akers added. "Talking about going to the postseason, whether it's at-large or winning our conference, that's our goal. They're definitely of the right mindset. It's a hard working group, and they're fun to be around."
Players Mentioned
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