SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.-- A strong finish made a statement-- University of New Mexico ladies's golf is a top-10 group nationally in 2023.

And it was so close to maybe even something greater.

UNM's strong 4th round at Grayhawk Golf Club-- 1-under on Monday-- pulled the Lobos into a tie for ninth location at 11-over par for 72 holes of stroke play.

The 8 groups above the Lobos, who tied for ninth with Arizona at 11-over, receive match play starting Tuesday. The first of those, Stanford, ended up at 19-under-- paced by star Rose Zhang. She shot a bogey-free, 4-under 68 on Monday to become the first women's golf enthusiast to win consecutive national titles and connect the NCAA record for wins in a season.

The last of the leading 8 groups-- the one UNM attempted valiantly to capture-- was Pepperdine, which made the final quarterfinal berth at 8-over, 3 strokes ahead of the Lobos.

" They battled today right to the end," stated UNM coach Jill Trujillo, whose team, at numerous minutes, was tied for 8th during the fourth round. "We had a couple of bogeys late in the round and bounced back with eagles. What more could you request for?"

Excellent perform at Grayhawk ends with a T-9th finish. First leading & #x 1f51f; at #NCAAGolf for the Lobos since 1998. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/zZT8Iu6JbT

—-- UNM Women'' s Golf (@UNMLoboWGolf) May 23, 2023

It's the best NCAA finish for New Mexico considering that tying for eighth place in 1998. At Grayhawk, UNM shot the very best 3 rounds at an NCAA Championship in program history-- 1-under during the 4th and very first rounds and even-par in the second round.

Lauren Lehigh shot UNM's low round Monday at 2-under 70, highlighted by an eagle on No. 7. She connected for 21st separately at 1-under.

Jenny Lertsadwattana was UNM's top private finisher at 2-under, connecting for 18th after a 1-under 71 on Monday. It's the best individual finish at NCAAs by a Lobo given that Jodi Ewart connected for 15th in 2010. Lertsadwattana and Lehigh are the third and 4th players in school history to end up a NCAA Championship under par, signing up with Ryley Webb (1-under in 1998) and Caroline Keggi (3-under when she won the 1987 NCAA private title).

Myah McDonald (tied for 55th) shot 1-over on Monday, as did Maria Caparros Levin. She connected for 70th as did Lisa-Marie Pagliano, who carded a 78 on Monday.

" This group has proven they are really terrific golf enthusiasts and they earned a lot of respect this week from other teams," Trujillo stated. I can't say sufficient about this group. They make straight A's, they play fantastic golf and they like each other.

Zhang finished at 10 under to match previous Arizona player and LPGA Hall of Famer Lorena Ochoa's NCAA records for wins in a season (eight) and career (12 ). Her 12 wins breaks the Stanford record for ladies or men, held by Tiger Woods and three others.

Zhang helped Stanford secure the top seed heading into Tuesday's match play in its bid to win successive national titles.

( Team scores, specific leaderboard).