It's a trip to San Antonio for NCAA-bound Lobo women's golf
Apr. 26—The cheers were loud but died out quickly. People filtered out of the room on the third floor of the Tow Diehm Facility. The TV, tuned into Golf Channel, was shut off unceremoniously.
All eight members of the New Mexico women's golf team spoke with each other, their coach standing a little off to the side.
"Okay," UNM women's golf coach Jill Trujillo said, looking at her team and hesitating briefly. Then, a smile.
"Good job."
That was the mood after the Lobos found out they were headed to TPC San Antonio as a No. 7 seed for their first NCAA regional since 2021 and 24th overall on May 8-10, a shot to crack into their 10th NCAA Championship field in program history.
In other words: none of this was unexpected.
"It's really funny because I often hear, 'We worked so hard all year for this,' " Trujillo said following the selection show. "Everyone works hard all the time to get to this point. But their mindset was just that of winning and staying true to their routines."
For starters, New Mexico wasn't all too worried watching the analysts on Golf Channel unveil the field. With a golfstat.com ranking of 42 and an automatic berth in hand after rallying to win the Mountain West title, they were always going to hear their names called on Wednesday morning.
Where they would go? Different story. But a hop, skip and jump over to the course best known for hosting the PGA Tour's Valero Texas Open was far and away the preferred destination.
"I (didn't) want to fly like, three hours," Napat 'Jenny' Lertsadwattana laughed after the show.
So, sure, it wasn't the most raucous of celebrations. But even if there was some tempered excitement, Wednesday morning was acknowledged as a culmination of sorts. That in and of itself was special.
"Every good thing that we did all year, it just all came together in the (Mountain West Championships)," Trujillo said.
Last week, New Mexico fired a field-best 285 in the first round at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California for a one stroke lead over San Jose State — which was bigger than it looked, according to Trujillo.
"That seemed to have been our downfall, not just throughout this year, but in the past two, and we did that," Trujillo said.
The second round, they didn't falter to a 288 as much as San Jose State went low for a 283. "And then, they just came out the next morning with the attitude of gratefulness and just to go get it," Trujillo said.
In the final round, Lertsadwattana took home individual medalist honors (-7 on the week) while Lauren Lehigh (69 in the final round), Myah McDonald (71) and Maria Capparos Levin (67) helped buoy the Lobos to a close — and a morning like Wednesday.
How it all comes together in San Antonio is undetermined. The Lobos' focus won't be.
"I know we're excited to not just be there," Trujillo said, "but to compete as well."
May 8-10
UNM women at NCAA San Antonio Regional, TPC San Antonio
