One-Two Punch
Brown has the comfort of knowing what she'll get from tournament-to-tournament in the talented duo of juniors Sandy Kim and Shayna Miyajima. The two finished within a stroke of each other in the 2001-02 season (Kim 2,011 strokes, Miyajima 2,012) and once again in the fall of 2002 (Miyajima 1,087, Kim 1,088). Either Miyajima (three times) or Kim (twice) registered the Aztecs' low score in each of SDSU's five fall tournaments, and they finished 11th and 12th in the Mountain West fall scoring race with averages of 77.64 and 77.71 strokes, respectively.

Miyajima, a decorated amateur from Wailuku, Hawaii, who advanced to the round of 16 at the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship over the summer, picked up the Aztecs' best individual finish in the fall by tying for second at the Matador Classic for her fourth career top-10. Kim, from West Linn, Ore., was SDSU's most consistent fall performer with finishes of 26th or better in each of the last three events.

"The juniors are awesome," Brown said. "They are my number one and number two and they're probably two or three shots better consistently than anyone else on the team. I'm really glad I've got them another year."

Needed: Senior Stability
Perhaps no other factor will determine the Aztecs' spring success as much as the consistency of the team's two seniors. As Jennifer Hoene (Acampo, Calif.) and Claire Riley (San Diego, Calif.) go, so often do the Aztecs. Brown believes that if Hoene and Riley can consistently shoot in the high-70s from round-to-round, the Aztecs will greatly improve on their one top-10 fall finish. Each has the capability to do so - Hoene has three career top-15 finishes to her credit including two at the MWC Tournament, while Riley tied for fifth with Kim at the Matador Classic during the fall season.

"I just need the two seniors to play a little better," Brown said. "They don't have to do anything super, I just need them to shoot 78s or 77s, which I think they are perfectly capable of doing."

Reinforcing The Roster
Redshirt freshmen Toni Lutz and Brittany Bailey made their Aztec debuts in the fall and along with sophomore Cameron MacFarland, they will likely continue to fill SDSU's fifth starting spot in the spring. As they continue to adjust to the competitive collegiate game, Lutz and Bailey will continue to improve on their respective fall averages of 84.67 and 85.60, as the Aztecs' key to tournament success is sub-80 scoring from all five lineup spots.

Joining the Aztec program in the spring are junior Abby Lasater (Cleburne, Texas), a junior college transfer who was part of a NJCAA National Championship team at Midland College in 2001, and freshman Ashley Forbes, from Palm Desert, Calif., and the runner-up at the 2002 CIF Southern Section. Though impact golfers, the duo will likely redshirt in their first semester on the Mesa in order to preserve a full year of eligibility. Their competition will be limited to practice rounds and pushing their fellow teammates.

Looking Ahead
With the fall season complete and an Aztec lineup that replaced two seniors finally rounding into form, Brown believes her team has a potential run at a third NCAA regional appearance in five years left in it. And what better way to start off the spring season than by playing close to home in hosting the Lady Aztec Invitational at Lake San Marcos Country Club.

"We should really win our home tournament," Brown said. "The golf course sets up really nice for us and I think other teams might get frustrated by the course here and there. We will see how it goes.

A good showing at the Lady Aztec and SDSU will be ready to again challenge the MWC's top program, New Mexico. The Aztecs led last season's conference tournament by three shots after the second round before settling for runner-up behind the Lobos for the second straight season.

"But right now we're really focusing on the conference," Brown said. "We are working on getting everybody in the right direction so that when we get into conference play, we can make a good showing again. New Mexico is again a top-10 team in the country and that's a high bar to try to reach. I think second in conference is still doable and you never know. If they have a bad week and we have a good week, there's always a chance. That's my focus, on conference. We've got to aim for Sunriver, Oregon and the Mountain West Tournament, and just work our way through it."