The UA women’s golf team kicked off its fall season this month and is looking forward to another successful year under the leadership of head coach Laura Ianello and assistant coach Derek Radley.
Returning for the Wildcats are seniors Wanasa Zhou and Jessica Vasilic, juniors Krystal Quihuis and Natalia Forero and sophomores Gigi Stoll, Haley Moore and Danielle Lee. Freshman Sandra Nordaas won the 2015 British Girls Championship in Scotland and will compete for the Wildcats this season.
Last season was a memorable one for the women’s golf team, which finished fourth at the Pac-12 Conference Championships and tied for ninth place at the NCAA Championship.
Ianello described this year’s team as having great unity—with all but one woman a returning player. The team also earned two team championships last season, one of which was at its home tournament. While the Wildcats had a strong season last year, Ianello noted there is still room to improve.
“Short game statistics can always improve,” she said. “[The] up-and-down percentage was around 50 percent last year and needs to improve to over 60-70 percent.”
The Wildcats are ranked No. 7 heading into the fall season, according to USA Today’s top-10. They are also ranked No. 10 nationally, according to the Golfstat top-25 rankings.
Arizona was strong individually last year, with players ranking at the top of the Pac-12 Championship and the NCAA Championship standings. According to Ianello, having players that have competed in such high-stakes tournaments will be a great strength this season.
Standouts included Quihuis and Moore. Quihuis finished the season tying for fifth place at the Pac-12 Championship, tying for eighth place at the Regional Championship and tying for 53rd at the NCAA Championship. She also earned the team’s sole individual championship after winning the Wildcat Invitational with a score of 209 (-7).
Moore ended her first college golf season on a high note, earning three top-10’s and tying for second place at the NCAA Championships with a score of 280 (-8).
The Wildcats’ season begins at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate, where they finished second last season.
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