By
Kyle Faraday
Arizona Daily Wildcat
It was just another day for the UA golf programs.
On the same day that men's golf coach Rick LaRose and women's coach Greg Allen have were selected to lead the United States team for the 2001 United States-Japan collegiate matches, freshman Lorena Ochoa was named the Pacific 10 Conference Freshman of the Year.
The native of Guadalajara is the nation's top-ranked golfer.
Not to be outdone, LaRose and Allen will coach matches scheduled for July 2-5 at the Verde Sano Golf Club in Sano Shi, Tochigi, Japan.
The honor is the first nomination for both of the coaches and marks the first time that an Arizona coach will be at the helm for a national team.
"I am honored to be selected for this position and am thrilled to have the chance to go to Japan and represent the United States," Allen said. "I'm even more excited to have (UA freshman) Natalie Gulbis along with us to represent the University of Arizona and to be there with Rick LaRose."
Gulbis was selected as one of four women to compete for the United States in the matches. The freshman has competed in eight events for the Wildcats this season, finishing in the top-10 five times.
"I am very excited to go overseas and play," Gulbis said. "There's nothing better than playing in a team event like that."
The other golfers that were named to represent the women's team were Stacy Prammanasudh of Tulsa, Summer Sirmons of Georgia, and Natalie Tucker of Indiana. The men's team will consist of eight collegiate players that will be named later this spring.
For Allen, this nomination tops off an extremely successful first season. Coming to the Wildcats from the University of Texas, he has led Arizona to five tournament championships and his squad has never been ranked lower than No. 2 during the season.
LaRose is in his 23rd season at the helm of the golf program and is credited for leading the Wildcats to national prominence. He is the only college coach to win both a men's (1992) and women's (1996) NCAA Championship. LaRose has won eight NCAA Regionals, five Pac-10 championships, and three Rolex Match Play titles. Since 1978, his men's teams have won 44 tournaments and produced 55 All-Americans.
While the eight-player men's field will not be announced for several weeks, there is a good chance that a Wildcat golfer will accompany LaRose to Japan. The Coaches Association traditionally selects at least one golfer from the head coach's program.
Nine Arizona golfers have competed in the U.S.-Japan Collegiate Matches since 1990.
