Third-place finish for women golfers

By Gabe Taylor

The women's golf team completed their season with a third-place finish at the West Coast Conference tournament last week.

Sophomore Miki Ueoka was the spark behind the Broncos' success, finishing tied for second overall after struggling in the first round of the WCC tournament.

Despite shooting an 83 in the first round and tying for 21st place after 18 holes, Ueoka shot a 71 in the second round and a 74 in the final round.

Ueoka was named to the All-WCC first team for her performance at the WCC Tournament.

Windy weather forced many golfers to fight to keep low scores.

"You just have to keep fighting," said Ueoka. "That was one round, but there was two more."

After a first-place finish in the Sacramento State Invitational, the Broncos were able to bring a sense of confidence into their final tournament.

Santa Clara stumbled midseason, finishing seventh at the Cal Poly Women's Invitational, eighth at the UC Riverside Lady Braveheart.

The Broncos tied for 15th in the San Diego State Aztec Invitational.

But Santa Clara came right back, and just in time for the WCC tournament, when they picked up a victory at the Sacramento State Invitational.

Ueoka said that coming off two wins prior to the WCC tournament gave her and the team the confidence to come back from struggling in the first round of the WCC tournament to finishing in the top three.

Prior to the tournament, Ueoka was named back-to-back WCC player of the month for February and March.

"This could have been a year where our goals did not come to fruition, but the team kept grinding it out and played great under tough conditions," said head coach Polly Schulze in an e-mail.

Schulze was impressed with the team's ability to score a 941 at the championships.

The head coach sees Ueoka's strengths as resting in her mental game, furthering the sophomore's poise and talent when it comes to golf.

"Miki's mental game is incredibly impressive," said Schulze. "Her mental fortitude allows her to be as good as she is."

According to Schulze, Ueoka has the mind set and knowledge of the game surpasses that of a collegiate golfer.

Excellent dynamics were a large part of the Broncos' success this season, according to Ueoka.

"This year, we worked especially well together," the sophomore said. "We encouraged each other and pushed each other to be better."

Ueoka was named to the All-WCC first team, and freshmen Meaghan Kari and Tammy Surtees both earned honorable mentions.

Kari and Surtees finished tied for 13th in the WCC tournament.

"Miki, Tammy and Meaghan certainly deserved WCC honors. They are our top three players right now," said Schulze. "The fact that they are two freshmen and a sophomore bodes well for the future of the team."

Ueoka credits Kari and Surtees for helping lead the Broncos throughout the season and at the championships.

"It's really exciting that you're being recognized," said Ueoka, "It feels good that I got that honor after playing well all season."

Pepperdine took home the first-place trophy at the WCC tournament. San Francisco finished in second place.

With a young team, Santa Clara is in no place to fade to the back of the WCC golf rankings, said Schulze.

"I am very excited for the coming two years with Miki and a team that can make history for our program," Schulze said.

Contact Gabe Taylor at gtaylor@scu.edu.