Rebels top dogs again

Despite losing two players to graduation and another to the professional ranks, the UNLV golf team hasn't missed a beat.

The Rebels, winners of six tournaments this season, will enter next week's NCAA Men's Golf Championships in Albuquerque as the No. 1 seed in the 30-team field. It marks the second consecutive year head coach Dwaine Knight's Rebels have been seeded first in the national championship.

The Rebels, of course, are hoping that history won't repeat itself next week. Last year, UNLV missed the 36-hole cut at the NCAA finals despite being the top seed.

"Being a number-one seed is certainly different than being number two; the pressure is on you for your time and everything is a lot different," Knight said. "But we want to be a number-one seed program. That's what we're all about, trying to build the best program in the country and we don't mind those pressures or expectations.

"This is great, this is right where we want to be."

Senior Bill Lunde, one of only two Rebels players returning from last year's team who played in the NCAA finals, said he did not view the top seeding as a bad omen.

"Everyone has acknowledged what happened last year -- it's not like we're scared to talk about it," Lunde said. "I think we're in a good spot. It's just awesome what we've done this year. Everyone kind of counted us out and we just accepted that and went about our business and we're right back where we were last year."

Sophomore Jeremy Anderson, the only other Rebel on this year's team to play in last year's finals, agreed.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Anderson said of the No. 1 seed. "It's nice to get right back in that same position again this year because sometimes you don't have that same opportunity -- ever.

"We don't think of it as any added pressure, we think of it more as a motivation. We were there last year and it was disappointing to end the way it did. We're right back in this situation again so we know exactly how to handle it."

Clemson was seeded second for the NCAA Championships, which run Wednesday through Saturday at The Championship Course at the University of New Mexico, followed by Georgia Tech, Texas Christian and Georgia.

Defending national champion Pepperdine did not qualify for this year's NCAA finals.

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