University of North Texas Athletics
Mean Green Ready For C-USA Tournament
4/15/2019 8:32:00 AM | Women's Golf
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The North Texas women's golf team will begin play at the Conference USA tournament Monday morning at the Verandah Golf Club with hopes of securing a conference championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament.
UNT enters the tournament with the fifth-highest national ranking in the field.
"We just need to have three consistent rounds and minimize any mistakes," UNT coach Michael Akers said. "Our depth has been an issue this spring, but we are not facing any top-25 teams this week so we know we can win if we mistakes to a bogey."
UNT will be led by an experienced duo of junior Lauren Cox and senior Sabina Pena. Cox has been the team's top player all year and is on pace to set a new low for season scoring average in program history and is coming off a top-10 finish at The Bruzzy where she sat a new program record for low round when she shot a 66.
Pena, along with Cox, had a top-five finish at the event last year, and Pena also had a top-five finish at the Big 12 tournament her freshman year at TCU before transferring to North Texas.
"Lauren and Sabina both had top-five finishes last year so they both should be very confident," Akers said. "Lauren has had a great season from start to now, and Sabina seems to always shine at the end of the year."
With that experience on the team's side, it might come down to the play of the Mean Green's two freshmen, Patricia Sinolungan and Audrey Tan.
"The freshmen are showing us great things in practice," Akers said. "They are very dedicated to their craft and go the extra mile. We are doing our best to educate them on the course and conditions they will face in Florida."
Conference USA Championships
Verandah Golf Club | Fort Myers, Florida
THE EVENT: The Verandah Golf Club will play at 6,194-yard, par-72 course. The three-day tournament begins Monday and will conclude Wednesday.
THE FIELD: There are 12 teams in the tournament: No. 57 Charlotte, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, No. 99 Marshall, No. 66 Middle Tennessee, No. 93 North Texas, No. 40 Old Dominion, Southern Mississippi, UAB, No. 100 UTEP, No. 60 UT-San Antonio and Western Kentucky.
REPRESENTING UNT: Competing for the Mean Green will be Lauren Cox, Madison Lewis, Sabina Pena, Patricia Sinolungan and Audrey Tan.
RESULTS: Live results will be posted on GolfStat.com. Full recaps from each day of competition will be posted on MeanGreenSports.com.
LAST TIME OUT: North Texas finished 15th at The Bruzzy in Argyle. Cox led the way for UNT with a top-10 finish and a school-record 66 in the second round of the tournament.
TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: North Texas has made significant strides since head coach Michael Akers took over roughly three years ago. The Mean Green were ranked No. 201 following the 2015-16 season, and since Akers arrived in Denton, UNT has soared as many as 109 spots to break into the top 100, and ended last season 92 spots better than when he arrived in Denton. The first official ranking of 2018-19 was released before the Betsy Rawls, and had North Texas ranked No. 103. Heading into this tournament, UNT is ranked No. 93.
AKERS SAYS: "We are excited to get to Florida to compete in the C-USA Championship. This is the first year in many years that we are teeing off in the top half of the conference. This just shows our continued progress."
UNT enters the tournament with the fifth-highest national ranking in the field.
"We just need to have three consistent rounds and minimize any mistakes," UNT coach Michael Akers said. "Our depth has been an issue this spring, but we are not facing any top-25 teams this week so we know we can win if we mistakes to a bogey."
UNT will be led by an experienced duo of junior Lauren Cox and senior Sabina Pena. Cox has been the team's top player all year and is on pace to set a new low for season scoring average in program history and is coming off a top-10 finish at The Bruzzy where she sat a new program record for low round when she shot a 66.
Pena, along with Cox, had a top-five finish at the event last year, and Pena also had a top-five finish at the Big 12 tournament her freshman year at TCU before transferring to North Texas.
"Lauren and Sabina both had top-five finishes last year so they both should be very confident," Akers said. "Lauren has had a great season from start to now, and Sabina seems to always shine at the end of the year."
With that experience on the team's side, it might come down to the play of the Mean Green's two freshmen, Patricia Sinolungan and Audrey Tan.
"The freshmen are showing us great things in practice," Akers said. "They are very dedicated to their craft and go the extra mile. We are doing our best to educate them on the course and conditions they will face in Florida."
Conference USA Championships
Verandah Golf Club | Fort Myers, Florida
THE EVENT: The Verandah Golf Club will play at 6,194-yard, par-72 course. The three-day tournament begins Monday and will conclude Wednesday.
THE FIELD: There are 12 teams in the tournament: No. 57 Charlotte, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, No. 99 Marshall, No. 66 Middle Tennessee, No. 93 North Texas, No. 40 Old Dominion, Southern Mississippi, UAB, No. 100 UTEP, No. 60 UT-San Antonio and Western Kentucky.
REPRESENTING UNT: Competing for the Mean Green will be Lauren Cox, Madison Lewis, Sabina Pena, Patricia Sinolungan and Audrey Tan.
RESULTS: Live results will be posted on GolfStat.com. Full recaps from each day of competition will be posted on MeanGreenSports.com.
LAST TIME OUT: North Texas finished 15th at The Bruzzy in Argyle. Cox led the way for UNT with a top-10 finish and a school-record 66 in the second round of the tournament.
TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: North Texas has made significant strides since head coach Michael Akers took over roughly three years ago. The Mean Green were ranked No. 201 following the 2015-16 season, and since Akers arrived in Denton, UNT has soared as many as 109 spots to break into the top 100, and ended last season 92 spots better than when he arrived in Denton. The first official ranking of 2018-19 was released before the Betsy Rawls, and had North Texas ranked No. 103. Heading into this tournament, UNT is ranked No. 93.
AKERS SAYS: "We are excited to get to Florida to compete in the C-USA Championship. This is the first year in many years that we are teeing off in the top half of the conference. This just shows our continued progress."
Players Mentioned
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