Aggies Set to Open 2011-12 Season Monday and Tuesday

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The New Mexico State women's golf team opens the 2011-12 season Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 12-13, at the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic hosted by Colorado State.

The Aggies return to action after placing second in the 2011 Western Athletic Conference Championship and earning an at-large bid to the 2011 NCAA West Regional Tournament.

"We are excited to get the season started," co-head coach Jackie Booth said. "We like this tournament because it is a good chance to give us some low scores and I am excited to see how low we can score on this course."

Playing for the Aggies in the opening tournament are senior Ashley Elias, sophomores Demi Mak, Mieke Canan and Lindsay Reeve along with junior transfer Aileen Meredith. Mak, the 2011 WAC Freshman of the Year, while join forces with Meredith, who comes in from Alabama State and was named the SWAC Freshman of the year in 2010.

"Aileen is a very talented athlete and it all comes to her very naturally," Booth said.

Elias has made some great strides over the summer and played the No. 1 spot in a few tournaments last season. With Mak playing in the No. 2 spot, the Aggies have plenty of depth and plenty of chemistry.

"This season's team has lots of chemistry and the team cares about one another and how one-another is doing on the golf course," Booth said.

The first two rounds of the 54-hole tournament will begin with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning, followed by the final round on Tuesday morning at 8:30. The par-72 Ptarmigan Country Club will play a little longer this year at 6,302 yards.

The Ram Fall Classic has attracted many top women's golf programs and this year is no exception. In addition to the Rams, last year's champion Colorado and 12th-ranked Cal Berkeley will participate. Also playing are UNLV, UC Davis, San Jose State, Fresno State, Baylor, UTEP, Idaho, Long Beach State, Northern Colorado, Wyoming, Illinois, Nevada, Texas Tech, Louisville and Santa Clara. In all, 19 Division I women's teams will compete at the tournament.

The Aggies finished 12 out of 17 teams in the 2010 Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic with a 900 and hope to finish in the top-half of the field this season. Live stats will be available online at www.GolfStat.com^[1].

References

1. ^{^} www.GolfStat.com (www.golfstat.com)