SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA women's golf team will travel to Fort Myers, Fla., to compete at this week's Conference USA Championship, which will be held on Monday-Wednesday at Verandah Club's Old Orange Course (par 72/6,194 yards) for the second consecutive year.
The Roadrunners will compete against FIU, Florida Atlantic, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP and Western Kentucky.
The field will play 18 holes each day with tee times beginning at 7 a.m. (CT).
Led by top-10 finishes from Aimee Ponte and Nikki Long, UTSA finished third at last year's C-USA Championship. Ponte finished sixth with 2-under-par 214 (72-71-71) and Long carded a 1-under 215 (73-75-67) to tie for seventh place to lead the Roadrunners to a 7-over 871 that was capped by a school record-tying 283 in the final round.
The Roadrunners have won a pair of conference championships, capturing back-to-back Southland Conference crowns in 2011-12, and also finished as runners-up at the 2009 Southland and 2013 C-USA Championships. UTSA has finished fourth or better at each of its last eight conference tournaments.
Individually, UTSA has claimed three conference crowns. Allie Jordan won the program's first at the 2009 Southland Championship and Shannon Jungman repeated that feat to help lead the Roadrunners to the 2012 Southland title. Two years ago in UTSA's first C-USA Championship appearance, Fabiola Arriaga set a then-conference tournament record with a 9-under-par 207 en route to individual medalist honors.
UTSA is coming off a ninth-place tie at the Dallas Athletic Club/SMU Invitational on April 1-2. Julie Houston posted her fifth top-15 finish of her freshman campaign by tying for 12th with a 221 (75-72-74) to lead the Roadrunners in a field that included eight nationally ranked teams.
What: Conference USA Championship
When: Monday-Wednesday, April 18-20
Where: Verandah Club Old Orange Course (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Par/Yardage: 72/6,194 yards
Format: 54-hole, stroke-play event
Tournament Field: FIU, Florida Atlantic, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP, UTSA, Western Kentucky
Tournament Central: conferenceusa.com
Live Scoring: golfstat.com
2015 Team Champion: Middle Tennessee -7 (857)
2015 Individual Champion: Meghan MacLaren -10 (206)
UTSA Lineup
Julie Houston, Fr. (Allen, Texas)
· Captured the Islanders Classic crown with a 215 (68-71-76) to lead UTSA to the team title
· Won the All There August Challenge with a 214 (69-69-76)
· Leads the team with a 74.21 stroke average, including a 73.44 mark this spring
· Three-time Conference USA Player of the Week
Nikki Long, So. (San Antonio, Texas)
· Finished sixth with a 219 (72-75-72) at the All There August Challenge
· Tied for fifth with a 222 (75-73-76) to help UTSA to the Islanders Classic title
· Owns five top-15 finishes this season
· Tied for seventh with a 215 (73-75-67) at last year's C-USA Championship
Aimee Ponte, Jr. (St. Sampson's, Guernsey)
· Tied for ninth with a 220 (77-69-74) at the All There August Challenge
· Finished 12th with a 218 (75-72-71) at The Alamo Invitational
· Ranks third on the team with a 75.15 stroke average
· Finished sixth with a 214 (72-71-71) at last year's C-USA Championship
Becky McGeehan, So. (Gutersloh, Germany)
· Tied for fifth with a 222 (73-73-76) to help UTSA to the Islanders Classic title
· Carded a 227 (78-71-78) to tie for 29th at the All There August Challenge
· Posted a 225 (71-79-75) to tie for 42nd at the MountainView Collegiate
· Shot 223 (76-77-70) to tie for 21st at last year's C-USA Championship
Brogan Townend, Sr. (Blackburn, England)
· Tied for sixth with a 1-over 217 (77-70-70) at The Alamo Invitational
· Named Conference USA Player of the Week on Oct. 28
· Finished 12th with a 222 (75-70-77) at the All There August Challenge
· Tied for 28th with a 225 (71-77-77) at last year's C-USA Championship
