Shean to lead Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas senior Kelli Shean leads the Razorback women’s golf team into action this weekend at the Mercedes Benz Collegiate Classic in Knoxville, Tenn., Friday-Sunday. Shean is coming off her first collegiate win at the Marilyn Smith/Sunflower Invitational in Manhattan, Kan., last week leading the Razorbacks to a second-place finish. "I’m expecting some good things out of Kelli," said Arkansas head coach Shauna Estes-Taylor. "Her game is at a higher level now than this same time last year and her progression has been fun to watch." Estes-Taylor is sure to like the team’s progression as well. The Razorbacks opened the year with a 13th-place finish in the first tournament bettering that to second last week. Shean is making her fourth appearance at the Mercedes Benz Collegiate while the Razorbacks are making their eighth team appearance in program history. The par 72, 6,000-yard Fox Den Country Club Course has been a site in which Arkansas has had success in the past. "This is a great event," Estes-Taylor said. "It’s a great field and I like the golf course. It sets up well for us. There are a lot of dog legs and it’s tight and tree-lined. We’ve played well here and that’s always good to build on." The Razorbacks face a talented and Southeastern Conference-heavy field this week. LSU and Ohio State are the headliners with the Tigers ranked No. 7 and the Buckeyes at No. 9 in the Golfstat head-to-head standings. The rest of the field includes No. 12 Florida, No. 17 UT-Chattanooga, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 19 Wake Forest, No. 20 Tulane, No. 22 Louisville, No. 24 South Carolina, No. 32 Furman, No. 36 TCU, No. 43 Kent State, No. 50 Notre Dame, No. 53 Arkansas, No. 60 North Carolina State, No. 72 Ole Miss, No. 78 UTSA and No. 82 Kentucky. Arkansas has played with its lineup in the first two events of the season specifically in the four and five spots. The Razorbacks make another change this weekend inserting freshman Victoria Vela into the five position but Arkansas again has the luxury of traveling six players for the second event in a row. This week the lineup includes Shean, seniors Kristin Ingram and Alex Schulte and sophomore Katy Nugent. Vela is in as well as Corinna Rees who will compete as an individual. "I’m excited to get one of our freshmen in the lineup this week," said Estes-Taylor. "I’m hoping Victoria can give us a little spark in that fifth spot." The Mercedes Benz Collegiate is the third of four fall events for the Razorbacks. For more information about Arkansas women’s golf, log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.