BOULDER CITY, Nev. – Coming off a co-championship in its regular-season finale, the UT Arlington men's golf team is primed and ready for the 2023 Western Athletic Conference Championship that gets underway Friday morning from Boulder Creek Golf Club.
 
UTA LINEUP
1) Caleb Hicks
2) Hiroki Miya
3) Daniel Cronje
4) Zak Jones
5) Cameron Beck
 
The three-day, 54-hole stroke play tournament will feature 18 holes Friday-Sunday under expected hot desert temperatures which will hover around 100 degrees just outside Las Vegas. Day-one tee times and pairings, when posted, along with live scoring all tournament will be available via Golfstat.
 
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
This will be UTA's first appearance back at the WAC Championship since its only previous year in the league during the spring of 2013. That year in neighboring Henderson at Rio Secco Golf Club, the Mavericks finished 2nd overall as a team, and Paul McConnell claimed medalist honors by overcoming a four-shot overnight deficit to win by two with a final-round 69.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Behind a tournament-best 3-under final round as team, UTA used a birdie on the 54th hole by Caleb Hicks to pick up its first tournament title in two years at the Tunica National Intercollegiate on Apr. 18.
 
Sitting in 3rd place entering the final round, UTA was one of only two teams in the 12-squad field to post a round below par that closing day. That resulted in the Mavs finishing at 1-under 863 to tie #72 and host Arkansas State atop the leaderboard, and a playoff was not contested as each school brought a trophy back to their respective campus.
  
LINEUP INFORMATION

• Cronje is coming off another solid showing at the Tunica National Intercollegiate. The South African has been the most consistent Maverick this year as he has not posted a round higher than +6 all season. Cronje has had a career year, notching best in tournaments played (10), rounds in the 60s (seven), par-or-better rounds (19) and average score (73.59).
   
• Hicks posted his best finish of the season with a T-5 (-3) at Tunica. At one point during the fall campaign he signed for eight-straight over-par rounds; however, the Arlington native has recorded five of 15 rounds under par this spring to help bring confidence to potentially his final collegiate tournament. He currently ranks 2nd on the team in scoring average (73.48), and Hicks will match his career-most tournaments qualified in a season with 11, which was set as a freshman.
   
• Jones registered his 3rd-best 54-hole finish of the season at Tunica National with a 220 (77-71-72), and like his teammates is carrying a lot of confidence into this weekend. In his final campaign, Jones has put together career bests in tournaments qualified (10), low round (67), par-or-better rounds (10) and a T-3 placement at the Bear Brawl on Halloween.
   
• Miya has led the Mavs all year with a scoring average of 73.45. The New Zealand native has been the difference maker as just one round all season from the New Zealand native has not counted toward the team score. The junior co-leads the Mavs alongside Hicks in par-or-better rounds with 11.
   
• Freshman Beck recorded a season-best finish in the regular-season finale with a 218 (68-80-70). Going back to his performance at the Spring Indy at Winstar earlier this month, the Mansfield product has played his last six rounds at -3 despite factoring in an 8-over 80 in the 2nd round at Tunica.

NEXT UP
The WAC Championship team and individual winner – if not part of the victorious team – will receive the league's automatic berth to the 2023 NCAA Championship, beginning with regional action May 15-17.
 
ABOUT TEXAS RANGERS GOLF CLUB
Opened in February of 2019, the state-of-the-art Texas Rangers Golf Club is the new home of UTA's men's and women's golf programs. The world's only Major League Baseball-branded golf course, TRGC is the result of a $24 million renovation and updated routing of the former Chester W. Ditto Golf Course.
 
The Home of UTA Golf was designed by UTA alumni John Colligan and Trey Kemp of Arlington-based Colligan Golf Design. It features an expansive 23-acre practice area, and a new 33,871-square-foot clubhouse features a full-service restaurant and bar, covered patio overlooking the golf course, pro shop, locker rooms and numerous rental and event spaces. For more information about TRGC, click here.
 
FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
For up-to-date news, photos and videos of the UTA men's golf program, follow us on Twitter: @UTAMavsMGolf, Instagram: @UTAMavsMGolf and Facebook: /UTAMavsMGolf.