University of North Texas Athletics
Women’s Golf Ready To Finish The Job
2/19/2021 10:10:00 AM | Women's Golf
DENTON – It's now been just shy of a year since the UNT women's golf team – along with every other team in the country – had its season unexpectedly cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic that abruptly halted college athletics in early March 2020.
The Mean Green women were fresh off their first tournament victory since the 2010-11 season, and Lauren Cox was the first individual champion of a tournament for the program since the 2012-13 season. Then, their positive momentum toward a top-50 national ranking and a likely NCAA tournament bid came to a screeching halt.
After a great fall season that now has the Mean Green ranked No. 36 in GolfStat's national poll, they are ready to finish what they had started last spring, and that journey begins Monday in Houston at the ICON Invitational.
"We are very excited to get back into competition," UNT head coach Michael Akers said. "We have unfinished business from last spring that we want to take care of. That includes winning a C-USA championship and advancing to the NCAAs. Our tournament schedule is again stacked with the top teams in the nation."
Beginning Monday, the Mean Green will compete in four tournaments, including The Bruzzy, which they host on March 28-29, before the Conference USA tournament April 19-21, in Fort Myers, Florida.
Cox, the most decorated golfer in program history, used the NCAA-granted COVID waiver to obtain an extra year of eligibility and returned for a fifth year, and is joined by two program veterans in Audrey Tan and Patricia Sinolungan. Add in junior Katie Finley, sophomores Marija Jucmane and Emilie Ricaud and freshman Shreya Pal, who enrolled in January, and the team depth might be at an all-time high.
In a fall season that featured three tournaments against almost exclusively Big 12, highly ranked competition, the Mean Green shined to climb the national poll. In those tournaments, Cox carded three top-10 finishes and earned two Conference USA Golfer of the Week honors, and Tan had two top-25 finishes. Finley tied for 16th at the Betsy Rawls Invitational in Austin when she fired a program-record 65 in the final round.
"Lauren, Audrey and Patty worked very hard over the holidays, as always, and are ready to go," Akers said. "I am also impressed with the work Marija put in. It seems to be paying off."
Spring schedule
2/22-2/23 – ICON Invitational, Houston
3/9-3/10 – Maryb S. Kauth Invitational, San Antonio
3/20-3/22 – Moutainview Collegiate, Tucson, Ariz.
3/28-3/29 – The Bruzzy, Argyle, Texas
4/19-4/21 – Conference USA Championship, Fort Myers, Fla.
The Mean Green women were fresh off their first tournament victory since the 2010-11 season, and Lauren Cox was the first individual champion of a tournament for the program since the 2012-13 season. Then, their positive momentum toward a top-50 national ranking and a likely NCAA tournament bid came to a screeching halt.
After a great fall season that now has the Mean Green ranked No. 36 in GolfStat's national poll, they are ready to finish what they had started last spring, and that journey begins Monday in Houston at the ICON Invitational.
"We are very excited to get back into competition," UNT head coach Michael Akers said. "We have unfinished business from last spring that we want to take care of. That includes winning a C-USA championship and advancing to the NCAAs. Our tournament schedule is again stacked with the top teams in the nation."
Beginning Monday, the Mean Green will compete in four tournaments, including The Bruzzy, which they host on March 28-29, before the Conference USA tournament April 19-21, in Fort Myers, Florida.
Cox, the most decorated golfer in program history, used the NCAA-granted COVID waiver to obtain an extra year of eligibility and returned for a fifth year, and is joined by two program veterans in Audrey Tan and Patricia Sinolungan. Add in junior Katie Finley, sophomores Marija Jucmane and Emilie Ricaud and freshman Shreya Pal, who enrolled in January, and the team depth might be at an all-time high.
In a fall season that featured three tournaments against almost exclusively Big 12, highly ranked competition, the Mean Green shined to climb the national poll. In those tournaments, Cox carded three top-10 finishes and earned two Conference USA Golfer of the Week honors, and Tan had two top-25 finishes. Finley tied for 16th at the Betsy Rawls Invitational in Austin when she fired a program-record 65 in the final round.
"Lauren, Audrey and Patty worked very hard over the holidays, as always, and are ready to go," Akers said. "I am also impressed with the work Marija put in. It seems to be paying off."
Spring schedule
2/22-2/23 – ICON Invitational, Houston
3/9-3/10 – Maryb S. Kauth Invitational, San Antonio
3/20-3/22 – Moutainview Collegiate, Tucson, Ariz.
3/28-3/29 – The Bruzzy, Argyle, Texas
4/19-4/21 – Conference USA Championship, Fort Myers, Fla.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Golf
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