For Immediate Release: Sunday, May 4, 2003
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Director of Athletic Media Relations, (956) 381-2240

LADY BRONCS, MAYNARD CHAMPS AT NATIONAL MINORITY CHAMPIONSHIPS,, BRONCS FOURTH

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL-Freshman Stefanie Maynard (Pflugerville, TX/Pflugerville HS) and The University of Texas-Pan American women's golf team both earned championships at the National Minority College Golf Championships Sunday.

The Lady Broncs finished first among women's teams, while Maynard was the individual medalist as play concluded at the PGA Golf Club's North Course. The Broncs finished fourth in the nine-team men's Division I field.

Maynard finished with a final round score of 75 for a 54-hole total of 227, two strokes ahead of Ashley Davis of Tennessee State. The Lady Broncs shot a final round of 313, giving them a 54-hole total of 962, nine strokes ahead of the only other team in the women's division, Bethune-Cookman.

"My putting cam together, so my round improved, and I finished strong, with eight straight pars," said Maynard. "I'm proud of our team, because we stuck together and finished as winners."

The individual title was Maynard's second of the season. She was the medalist at the Bronc Intercollegiate Classic at Los Lagos Golf Club in Edinburg February 18th.

Junior Crystal Frazier (Coolidge, TX (Wortham HS) shot a final-round 78 for a total of 243, and finished third. Freshman Nikki Boychuk (Conroe, TX/Willis HS) shot an 81 for 244 and finished fourth, freshman Daniela Cortes (Aguascalientes, Mexico/Colegio Portal) shot a 79 for 249 and finished seventh, and junior Christina Infante (Lyford, TX/Lyford HS) shot a 96 for 276 and finished 10th.

"We played much better today, and it was a fantastic way to finish the season," said UTPA Head Women's Coach Barb Odale. "We took two triple bogeys and three bogeys on our first hole, but nobody quit, and around the fourth hole, the match started to turn back in our favor. Stefanie was nervous teeing off today, but she hung in there, and it was fun to watch her play."

The men shot a final-round 294 for a 54-hole total of 884, one stroke behind third-place Tennessee State. Bethune-Cookman won the tournament with a score of 844, while Florida A&M was second at 856. The Broncs were followed by South Carolina State at 891, and Alcorn State at 919.

Junior Rudy Celedon (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg North HS), who was in first place after the first two rounds, shot a final-round score of 76. He finished with a 54-hole total of 214 and a tie for sixth place. Celedon was followed by junior Ben Piper (Lubbock, TX/Coronado HS), who shot a 71 for 224 and tied for 15th, freshman Craig Berger (Wetaskiwin, AB/Wetaskiwin Composite HS), who shot a 73 for 225 and tied for 17th, junior Paul Manganilla (Carrollton, TX/Newman Smith HS/Navarro College), who shot a 79 for 226 and tied for 20th, and junior John Huerta (Alice, TX/Alice HS), who shot an 74 for 233 and tied for 30th.

Berger provided one of the day's highlights for the Broncs. He scored a hole-in-one on the seventh hole, hitting an eight-iron 154 yards on the par-three hole.

"We're disappointed that we didn't finish third," said UTPA Head Men's Coach Mark Gaynor. "It was a very good tournament, and was very well run. Rudy had a chance to win. He played well today, but he didn't putt well, or he would have had a chance to win."

The tournament concludes the season for the Broncs and Lady Broncs. The National Minority College Golf Championships will be featured on a special program on the Golf Channel that is scheduled to air on Thursday, June 27th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Central Time.

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UTPA RESULTS

LADY BRONCS

Stefanie Maynard, 75-77-75-227, 1st
Crystal Frazier, 84-81-78-243, 3rd
Nikki Boychuk, 86-77-81-244, 4th
Daniela Cortes, 81-89-79-249, 7th
Christina Infante, 92-88-96-276, 10th

BRONCS

Rudy Celedon, 69-69-76-214, tie for 6th
Ben Piper, 75-78-71-224, tie for 15th
Craig Berger, 77-75-73-225, tie for 17th
Paul Manganilla, 75-72-79-226, tie for 20th
John Huerta, 77-82-74-233, 30th