FULLERTON, Calif. --
THIS WEEK: Coming off a record-breaking finish earlier in the week in New Mexico, the Cal State Fullerton women's golf team has a quick turnaround and heads right back into action this weekend as one of 20 teams competing at the 2013 Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate hosted by the University of Wyoming on Oct. 12-13 in Palm Desert, Calif. It will be the final tournament of the fall season for the Titans, who don't return to the course for competition until Feb. 17-18, 2014.
THE COURSE: This weekend's tournament will measure 6,112 yards and play at par 72 at The Classic Club in Palm Desert, Calif. Both days will begin with a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start with 36 holes on Saturday (Oct. 12) and the final 18 holes on Sunday (Oct. 13).
THE FIELD: In addition to the Titans and host Cowgirls, the tournament field includes Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Colorado State, Eastern Washington, Fresno State, Hawaii, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Seattle University, Southern Utah, UC Riverside, Rollins College, Weber State, and Western Carolina.
IN THE POLLS: Cal State Fullerton is the highest-ranked Division I team in this weekend's field according to the GolfStat.com NCAA Head-to-Head rankings released on Oct. 9, standing at No. 80 in the nation… the Titans are one of four teams competing this weekend ranked among the top 100, joining Colorado State (#91), San Francisco (#97), and Western Carolina (#100)… the highest-ranked team in the field overall is Rollins College, which stands at No. 3 nationally among NCAA Division II squads according to GolfStat.com.
WATCH IT LIVE: Unfortunately, not this week. Live scoring will not be available for this weekend's tournament. Results will be posted as soon as possible following each day's rounds at the University of Wyoming's athletic website (GoWyo.com) and at FullertonTitans.com.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Junior Tisha Alyn Abrea and freshman Martina Edberg each finished in a tie for sixth and the Titans used a school-record final round to charge up the leader board and finish third overall at the 14th annual Price's "Give 'Em Five" Intercollegiate hosted by New Mexico State from Oct. 7-9 in Las Cruces. Fullerton, which began the day in seventh place, shot the final round's best score on Wednesday, using a school-record 287 to finish at 17-over for the three-day event. The team total of 881 was 11 shots better than the previous 54-hole tournament record of 892 set last season at the Washington State Cougar Cup on Sept. 24-25.
2013 Price's "Give 'Em Five" Intercollegiate
New Mexico State University Golf Course • Las Cruces, N.M. • Par 72
Team… 293-301-287=881 (+17, 3rd)
t6. Tisha Alyn Abrea… 69-78-69=216 (E)
t6. Martina Edberg… 70-77-69=216 (E)
t27. Seri Lee… 76-76-73=225 (+9)
t27. Makayla Mier… 78-70-77=225 (+9)
t59. Dakota Brown*… 81-74-79=234 (+18)
t66. Kate Cho… 81-80-76=237 (+21)
* denotes competed as an individual
THE LOWEST OF THE LOW: Abrea became the first Titan to break 70 since the sport was reinstated at Cal State Fullerton in 2009-10, shooting a program-record 69 in the opening round in New Mexico on Monday (Oct. 7). Her solitary reign atop the list didn't last long as Edberg eventually matched the mark with a final round 69 on Wednesday (Oct. 9) while Abrea was also busy tying the record with a final-round 69 of her own.
LIKE A RECORD, BABY, RIGHT 'ROUND, 'ROUND, 'ROUND: Cal State Fullerton's performance in New Mexico will be a hard act to follow this weekend in Palm Desert as four school team and individual marks were either broken or matched in Las Cruces:
Lowest Single-Round Score (Team): 287 in the 3rd Round
Lowest Single-Round Score (Individual): 69 by Tisha Alyn Abrea (twice) & Martina Edberg
Lowest 54-Hole Team Score: 881
Lowest 54-Hole Individual Score: 216 by Tisha Alyn Abrea & Martina Edberg (tied record)
SPEAKING OF " 'ROUNDS": All three of Cal State Fullerton's rounds in Las Cruces rank among the best in school history as Wednesday's school record followed up a first-round 293 (third for third all-time) and a 301 on Tuesday (15th all-time).
QUITE A CARD: Of the 15 rounds carded by the Fullerton lineup in New Mexico, seven of those rounds were at par or better -- led by two apiece from Abrea and Edberg.
THIS CONTINUES TO BE A HABIT: Abrea's tie for sixth in New Mexico marked her fourth-consecutive top-10 finish dating back to last year's Big West Conference Championships and the 16th career top-20 finish in 21 career tournaments, tying her with Taylor Fowler for the most by a golfer in school history since the sport returned to campus in 2009-10. Abrea's 12 finishes in the top 10 (which include four in the top five) are also the most in school history.
PAR (OR BETTER) FOR THE COURSE: Abrea and Edberg posted a pair of rounds at par or better for the week in New Mexico, giving them three apiece for the 2013-14 season and ranking them second on the school's single-season list for that category behind only teammate Seri Lee's four rounds at par or better as a sophomore last season. For Abrea, her sub-par first and third rounds in Las Cruces gave her six rounds at par or better as a Titan, tying her with Taylor Fowler (2009-12) for the most in a career.
EVEN STEVEN: Or Tisha, or Martina, or Seri… you get the picture. Abrea and Edberg's even-par finish in New Mexico last week, tied Seri Lee's even-par performance at the Washington State Cougar Cup last season for the lowest tournament score (relative to par) since reinstatement. No Titan, since the sport returned to campus in 2009-10, has finished a tournament under par.
SWEET-SWINGING SWEDE: Freshman Martina Edberg has been on a roll of late, posting back-to-back top-10 finishes in each of Fullerton's last two tournaments and carding sub-par scores in three of her last four rounds on the course. Edberg, who at one point was 7-under for the day in the final round in New Mexico, posted her career-best finish last week in Las Cruces (tie for sixth) after finishing in a tie for 10th at the Rose City Collegiate a week earlier.
MY-OH-MIER: Cal State Fullerton junior Makayla Mier rebounded from a first-round 78 to post her best round as a Titan thus far in her career in Tuesday's second round, firing a 2-under-par 70 to shatter her previous single-round low of 74 at last year's Washington State Cougar Cup. It was the first career round at par or better for Mier since transferring to Fullerton in time for the 2012-13 season, carding a pair of birdies while playing at even-par the rest of the day. Mier eventually finished in a tie for 27th at 9-over (225) for the tournament
BROWN DEBUTS: Sophomore Dakota Brown made her 2013-14 debut in New Mexico last week, finishing in a tie for 59th at 18-over (234) while competing as an individual. Brown's second-round 74 (+2) was a career-low as was her three-day total of 234.
RECYCLED NOTES
TITANS' ABREA NAMED BIG WEST GOLFER OF THE MONTH: Cal State Fullerton junior Tisha Alyn Abrea posted a pair of top-10 finishes to lead the Titans in their first two events of the season and garner Big West Conference Golfer of the Month honors for September. It is the first career honor for Abrea and the second for the women's program after Taylor Fowler was honored in February of 2012.
Abrea opened the season with a tie for eighth out of a field for 64 at the Minnesota Invitational, rebounding from a first-round 78 to shoot 75-74 over the next 36 holes to finish at 11-over (227). She followed that up two weeks later with the best 36-hole score in school history, shooting a season-best 71 in the final round to finish 2-over (146) and in a tie for third at a rain-shortened Rose City Collegiate in Aurora, Ore.
STRAIGHT FROM THE COACH'S MOUTH: Listen as Cal State Fullerton Head Coach Pearl Sinn-Bonanni previews her team's 2013-14 season in stunning HD via the lens of team videographer Matt Brown. Access the entire interview on Cal State Fullerton's YouTube page at youtube.com/csfathletics or by clicking here.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER: The summer of 2013 proved to be a bountiful one for four Titans, who excelled on the course to stay sharp for the 2013-14 campaign. Junior Seri Lee was the runner-up at the CPT State Farm Collegiate Open with a 1-under-par 215, finishing the tournament as only one of two golfers under par behind Columbia's Michelle Piyapattra, who won the event with a 6-under-par, 210. Fellow junior Tisha Alyn Abrea also posted a runner-up finish, ending in a tie for second at the 92nd annual Los Angeles City Women's Championship with a 4-over-par 146, just one shot back of the tournament champion. Junior Makayla Mier qualified for the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, finishing in a tie for 101st (+14) and missing out on the top 64 that advanced to match play. Finally, freshman newcomer Martina Edberg -- the first international Titan since the program was reinstated in 2009-10 -- spent the summer as a member of the Swedish National Team, helping her country to the title at the European Championships.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE TITANS: Fullerton returns five golfers for the 2013-14 campaign, including its top-three scorers from a season ago in juniors Tisha Alyn Abrea, Seri Lee, and Makayla Mier. The Titans are looking to build off a fifth-place finish at last season's Big West Conference Championships after a regular season that saw them finish among the top four teams in six of their eight events.
TIP-INS
-- Tisha Alyn Abrea and Seri Lee are the only two Titans since the sport was reinstated to have competed in every possible tournament for Cal State Fullerton for their careers (21-for-21)…
-- Fullerton's third-place finish in New Mexico marked the ninth time in its last 12 events that the Titans have finished in the top five dating back to last season…
-- Abrea finished with the best 36-hole tournament score since reinstatement with her 2-over-par 146 at the Rose City Collegiate on Sept. 30-Oct. 1 while the Titans, as a team, shot a school-record 609 over 36 holes at the rain-shortened event…
-- Fullerton's third-place finish in New Mexico was its best since finishing second at its own Folino Invitational on Feb. 17-19 last season.