No. 9 Arkansas golf travels to the SEC Championship this weekend

FAYETTEVILLE – The ninth-ranked University of Arkansas women’s golf team returns to the road traveling to Loudon, Tenn., for the 2008 Southeastern Conference Championship at Tennessee National this weekend. Arkansas sends a lineup paced by senior Stacy Lewis into what could be one of the most competitive SEC Championships in recent years with five teams ranked in the top 10 and seven in the top 16 in the country this week. “We’re excited,” said Arkansas head coach Shauna Estes-Taylor. “We prepare all year for the post season. The team has been working hard the last two weeks and we’re ready to go.” Lewis is the Arkansas headliner. The Woodlands, Texas, native is not only one of the best golfers in the league but also in the country. This season, Lewis has won five collegiate tournaments, been selected SEC Golfer of the Week three times and ranks first in the SEC and second in the country for stroke average. In addition to Lewis’ success, Estes-Taylor will look to the balance of the team to place Arkansas among the top team finishers. “We need consistent play from the other four,” she said. “They put so much pressure on themselves thinking they have to shoot 72 and they don’t. All five players just need to be consistent and finish strong. We’ve worked on finishing well all week and that’s really been our motto this year.” Junior Lucy Nunn, sophomores Kristin Ingram and Alex Schulte and freshman Kelli Shean also make the trip to SECs. “This team is excited and ready to go,” said Estes-Taylor. “We’ve been looking at the course on-line to kind of get a feel for the layout but this is a new course for all of us. I’m not even sure Tennessee will have much of a home course advantage – I don’t think they play this one much.” Arkansas tees off at 8:20 a.m. central with No. 19 LSU and No. 10 Auburn for the first round Thursday from the back nine. Also competing is No. 5 Florida, No. 7 Alabama, No. 8 Georgia, No. 16 Tennessee, No. 26 Vanderbilt, No. 31 South Carolina, No. 63 Ole Miss, No. 67 Mississippi State and No. 68 Kentucky. For more information please log on to LADYBACKS.COM. Live statistical updates for the entire SEC Championship are available at golfstat.com.