A Decade in C-USA: Golf

Free 30-Days | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram

Contact Us | Refer-a-friend Promo

EDITORS NOTE: This is the ninth in a series of stories about the UTSA teams during their 10 year run as members of Conference USA.

Previously in the series: SOCCER | VOLLEYBALL | FOOTBALL | CROSS COUNTRY | BASKETBALL | TENNIS | BASEBALL | SOFTBALL

On September 9, 2013 UTSA's golf teams took part in their first tournaments as members of Conference USA. The men's golf team took part in the Sam H. Hall Intercollegiate in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The women's team took part in the "Mo" Morial tournament in Bryan, Texas. Both teams finished eighth in their respective tournaments that week.

So began a journey that would stretch until the spring of 2023 for both teams. UTSA's golf teams came into Conference USA at different points of success. The next decade would see both teams climb to new heights.

The men's team had finished in fourth place at the WAC tournament in 2013, their best conference tournament finish since a second place finish at the 2006 Southland Conference tournament.

UTSA's men's golf team had not had a player qualify for the NCAA tournament since 2004. Leading the Roadrunner men into Conference USA was John Knauer. Knauer had arrived at UTSA in 2008 and was building up the men's program.

Knauer would coach UTSA until retiring after the 2021-22 season. During his nine seasons in Conference USA, Knauer would lead UTSA to 83 team top 10 finishes. Included in those were 33 top five finishes and four tournament wins for the team. UTSA would have 62 individual top 10 finishes under Knauer. The top 10 individual finishes also included 30 top five finishes and seven individual tournament wins.

In 2022-23 UTSA tabbed Matt Wernecke to lead the program into its final season in Conference USA and beyond. In his first year leading the Roadrunners Wernecke's team had seven top 10 finishes, two individual top 10 finishes and one top five finish.

The women's team entered Conference USA after finishing fourth in the WAC tournament in 2013. UTSA's women's team had gone into the WAC after winning the Southland Conference championship in 2011 and 2012.

Like the men's program, the women's program had had the same head coach since 2008. Carrie Parnaby led the women's program in its final years in the Southland Conference and its first few years in Conference USA. Parnaby, the second head coach in UTSA women's golf history, had been named the Southland Conference coach of the year in 2011 and 2012.

Parnaby led UTSA until the end of the 2017 season when she decided to step away from coaching. During her tenure leading UTSA women's golf in Conference USA Parnaby coached the team to 24 top 10 finishes, 24 individual top 10 finishes, 14 team top five finishes, 12 individual top five finishes, two team tournament wins and three individual tournament wins.

Not long after Parnaby stepped away from the program, UTSA turned to former Roadrunner player and assistant coach Summer Batiste. Batiste took what Parnaby had started and carried it forward. Between the start of the 2017-18 season and the final season in Conference USA the Roadrunners had 44 team top 10 finishes and 54 individual top 10 finishes under Batiste.

Batiste helped coach the Roadrunners to 23 team top five finishes and seven tournament championships, including two Conference USA championships. There were 27 individual top five finishes and three individual tournament wins. Batiste also won Conference USA coach of the year in 2018 and 2019.

The decade in Conference USA had no shortage of notable Roadrunner golfers and teams.

UTSA men had a strong run in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. In 2016-17 the Roadrunners got their first NCAA tournament qualifier since Mike Mezel in 2004 when Fair Oaks Ranch-native Zander Lozano earned a spot in the Baton Rouge regional. Lozano's 24th place finish at Baton Rouge still stands as the best finish by a Roadrunner male golfer at the NCAA tournament.

A year later Lozano made more history when he became the first Roadrunner men's golfer to make back-to-back NCAA tournaments when he earned a spot at the Bryan regional. Lozano closed out his UTSA career with a 55th place finish in Bryan. Lozano left UTSA with a school record 25 sub-70 rounds as well as 15 top 10 finishes.

In 2021 the Roadrunners made the NCAA tournament as a team for the first time. UTSA went to the Kingston Springs regional and shot a three-day total of 876. That score earned UTSA a 10th place finish at the regional. Chad Sewell was the top Roadrunner at the 2021 regional, finishing in 39th place.

UTSA's women's program got off to a good start in their time in Conference USA with a second place finish in 2014. Fabiola Arriaga won the individual Conference USA championship in 2014 to become the third Roadrunner woman to win an individual conference crown, joining Allie Jordan in 2009 and Shannon Jungmann in 2012.

Arriaga finished 49th at the NCAA west regional in 2014. It was Arriaga's fourth straight trip to the NCAA tournament.

Four years later, in 2018, the Roadrunner women's team won the Conference USA championship and had the top two finishers in the individual standings. Julie Houston won the individual championship and Ana Gonzales finished in second place. That year the Roadrunners finished in 12th place at the Austin regional of the NCAA tournament. Gonzales was the best Roadrunner at the regional finishing in 29th place. That year marked the start of five straight seasons, not counting the 2020 pandemic shortened season, that UTSA would send a golfer to the NCAA tournament.

In 2019 the Roadrunners repeated as Conference USA champions. Ana Gonzales became the fifth Roadrunner to win an individual conference championship when she captured the top spot in the 2019 Conference USA tournament. Houston finished tied for eighth in her attempt to repeat as conference champion. The Roadrunners went to the Norman regional in Oklahoma that year. The Roadrunners finished 14th at the Norman regional. Hannah Holzmann had the best finish of the Roadrunners with a 51st place score at the Norman regional.

After no NCAA tournament was held in 2020, the Roadrunners were back in 2021. UTSA finished fourth at the conference tournament but the team was able to qualify for the Louisville. The Roadrunner women finished 13th at the Louisville regional. Gonzalez, in her third regional appearance, was the top Roadrunner in Louisville with a 34th place finish. The 2021 regional was also the first appearance for Camryn Carreon who became the best Roadrunner golfer in the final two seasons in Conference USA.

In 2022 the Roadrunners finished second in Conference USA and advanced to the Franklin Regional. UTSA had their best team finish in a regional in program history with a sixth place finish. Carreon finished fourth in the individual standings to advance to the NCAA Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona. Carreon became the first Roadrunner to advance past the regional round in program history. In Scottsdale, Carreon finished in 52nd place at the NCAA Championships.

The final year in Conference USA saw UTSA women's golf finish third in the conference. UTSA hosted the San Antonio regional but had only Carreon as a qualifier. Familiarity with the TPC San Antonio Oak's course might have been an added boost for Carreon. Carreon became the first Roadrunner golfer to win an NCAA regional, winning the San Antonio regional by six strokes. In the NCAA championships Carreon missed the cut by two strokes and finished tied for 77th place in her final tournament as a Roadrunner.

UTSA's golf teams will begin their time in the American Athletic Conference sometime this fall and will play their first AAC tournament next spring. Both teams enter the American with a strong foundation built on the decade of membership in Conference USA.

Next in the series: Track and Field

FORUMS: UTSA Boulevard | Roadrunner Way