Rebels women’s golfers tied for sixth at regional

The UNLV women’s golf team struggled late but still had a solid first round on a demanding Stanford course Thursday, standing tied for sixth among 27 teams at the NCAA West Regional.

UNLV shot 11-over 295 on the par-71 course, tied with Alabama and four strokes behind co-leaders Virginia and Arizona, as no team could approach par. The top eight teams in the event advance to the NCAA Championships.

Alejandra Guacaneme and Kristen Schelling paced the Rebels by shooting 71, putting them in a seven-way tie for sixth. Natasha Krishna shot 5-over 76, and Therese Koelbaek, UNLV’s top player all season, rounded out the team score with a 6-over 77.

San Jose State’s Madeleine Ziegert held the individual lead at 4-under 67. The tournament continues through Saturday.

■ MEN’S GOLF — At Tucson, Ariz., UNLV’s Derek Ernst was tied for the individual lead after the first round of the Mountain West Conference Championships, and the Rebels were fourth in the nine-team field after shooting 6-over 290.

Colorado State led at 1-under 283, followed by San Diego State at 285 and Brigham Young at 287. Ernst shot 1-under 70, joining the Rams’ Zahkai Brown and Ryan Peterson, and BYU’s Esteban Calisto atop the leaderboard.

UNLV’s Colby Smith was part of a seven-way logjam in fifth place, at 71. The tournament continues through Saturday.

■ BASEBALL — R.J. Arnold went 3-for-4 with four RBIs to lead UNLV to a 12-6 Mountain West Conference win over Brigham Young at Wilson Stadium.

Arnold’s two-run single in the sixth inning gave the Rebels (24-19, 8-7) an 8-6 lead, and he added a two-run double in UNLV’s four-run eighth.

Hunter Beatty went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs for the Rebels, who have won four straight.

Brady Zuniga pitched the final four innings in relief of Tanner Peters and shut out the Cougars on no hits and fanned six.

■ SOFTBALL — UNLV broke a 5-5 tie by piling up eight runs in the fourth inning on the way to 13-5 victory over Utah at Eller Media Stadium. The game was called on the run rule after five innings.

Jaci Hull had an RBI groundout to open the outburst in the bottom of the fourth. Marissa Nichols’ two-run homer and Tara Bendt’s RBI single made it 9-5, and Ashli Holland followed with a grand slam.

The Rebels (29-19, 6-4 Mountain West Conference) ended a two-game skid.

■ ARTHUR ASHE HONORS — Women’s golfer Alejandra Guacaneme and women’s basketball player Jamie Smith were among nationwide honorees as Arthur Ashe Junior Sports Scholars.

The award is given annually to minority student-athletes from all NCAA sports, recognizing them for good academic standing and service to the campus and/or their community.