Women's golf 'excited to get back at it again'

The Wildcats hope that the hiatus has not taken too great a toll on their success as they travel to Los Angeles today through Wednesday to play in the Regional Challenge.

"The girls are real excited to get back at it again," UA assistant coach Tom Brill said. "After a long break like this, it is just nice to get back on the course and play again."

The Wildcats will once again be lead by sophomore Marisa Baena, who is making her third start of the season, and freshman Jill Gomric, both of whom have placed in the top 10 in each of their starts so far. Baena has won the last five tournaments she has entered, dating back to last spring's Pac-10 Championships. Also playing for the Wildcats this week are juniors Heather Graff and Christina Tollerton and sophomore Krissie Register.

This week's contest will be a tough one for Arizona as it includes seven of the Top 20 teams in the country, according to the latest Rolex Collegiate Rankings. Arizona will be closely challenged by No. 2 Arizona State, No. 3 San Jose State and No. 4 Stanford. Also in the field are No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 15 Tulsa, No. 17 New Mexico State and No. 19 Texas.

The one concern for Arizona is Baena's recurring back pain, which has yet to significantly bother her, but still remains on the minds of both her and her coaches.

"Marisa will be just fine," Brill said. "She is very tough and will work through this just like she has in the past."

The Challenge will be played at the Palos Verdes Country Club, with its short, tight fairways. It is a course which Brill said bodes very well for his players.