GOLD CANYON, Ariz. – Arizona Women's Golf annual opener to a new calendar year, the Match in the Desert, will mark the beginning of 2024. The Wildcats will join Arizona State, Baylor, Kansas and UCLA for 18 holes at Superstition Mountain Golf Course on Monday. Arizona has played in this event in each of the last three seasons in a variety of different fields.

"This is an exciting time of the year, and our young ladies are ready to go out and compete for the first time since October," said head coach Laura Ianello. "The Match in the Desert at Superstition Mountain has been a good barometer for our team to start in previous years, and it may prove to have some inclement weather for us to take on as well. I am looking forward to seeing our team take the first step in our journey for the spring on Monday."

The entire women's golf roster will be available to play in the Match in the Desert, which includes Gile Bite Starkute, Carolina Melgrati, Julia Misemer and Nena Wongthanavimok who all played in last year's event. Misemer was an Arizona leader in this event one year ago, finishing tied for eighth at 3-under par.

The one-day event is a quick warmup for the Wildcats who will play their first 72-hole event of 2024 during the first week of February in the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, California.