UNLV after their MWC three-peat
(UNLV Athletics Photo)
RANCHO MIRARGE, CA (April 18, 2018) - With four players finishing inside the top-10, UNLV has won the MWC Women's Championship for the third consecutive year. Playing at the Mission Hills Country Club Dinah Shore Course, the Rebels finished 8-over and eight shots clear of second place San Diego State (+16).
Colorado State (+31) was third, New Mexico (+38) took fourth and in fifth it was Nevada (+39).
"I can't say enough about this team and how they performed this week and all year. This is our fourth tournament win this season and it's so hard to win one let alone four, so I couldn't be more proud of them," said head coach Amy Bush-Herzer. "I'm so happy for Mack [Mackenzie Raim] in her last [MWC] tournament, she played great all three days and earned every bit of that second place finish."
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For UNLV the three-peat marks the second time in program history they have accomplished the feat previously doing so from 2004-2006. The win also marks the fourth time in seven years that UNLV has won a their conference championship and the seventh time overall.
Leading the Rebels was senior Mackenzie Raim (2nd; -2) recording her best career conference tournament finish. Behind Raim came Polly Mack (T8; +4), Elizabeth Prior (T10; +5) and Shannon Oh (T10; +5).
The medalist title would go to Mila Chaves of San Diego State. A senior, Chaves signed for rounds of 72-69-72, to finish 3-under and one shot in front of UNLV's Raim. The winning birdie for Chaves fell on the par-4 12th before it was a string of pars to the house.
Chaves became the second consecutive Aztec to win the MWC individual title after Fernanda Escauriza won in 2017. She was also able to extract a bit of revenge, as a freshman Chaves finished second at the MWC Women's Championship, losing in a playoff.
Katrina Prendergast of Colorado State was third at even-par while Nevada's Celyn Khoo and Ellen Secor of Colorado State shared fourth at 1-over.
Editors Note: UNLV Athletics contributed to this story.
ABOUT THE
MWC Women's Championship
54-hole stroke-play event to crown the champion of
the
Mountain West Conference. Team (best four scores
out
of five players each round) and individual
competitions.
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