ST. GEORGE -- It was a family affair this week at the 19th annual BYU Dixie Classic.

Rallying behind BYU's terrific trio of Newren sisters (Rachel, Nicole, and Natalie), the women's golf team snagged fourth place at the Dixie Classic on Tuesday. All three sisters placed in the top 20 as the ever-improving Cougars finished fourth or better for the third consecutive time.

"We're on the verge of a breakout tournament," BYU head coach Sue Nyhus said. "We are really close."

Also close was the battle for third between BYU (300-314-308--922) and San Diego State (297-314-308--919). Heading into the final round, the Cougars trailed the Aztecs by three stokes, but picked up eagles from Rachel Newren and Alexis Edwards on the first hole to jump ahead briefly. However, in the end, the Cougars finished the same three strokes behind the Aztecs.

BYU was led by freshman Rachel (75-77-74--226), whose ninth-place finish was her career best. Behind her were Nicole (73-81-75--229), a senior, and junior Natalie (75-75-80--230), who placed 17th and 19th, respectively. Rounding out the Cougars' five were Margaret Gibby (77-83-79--239), who placed 34th, and Alexis Edwards (82-81-80--243), who finished 40th.

The Cougars got off to a great first-round start on Monday, but found it hard to maintain on the second 18 holes when the winds picked up. A steady 308 in the final round solidified BYU's fourth-place finish.

BYU competed against three top-50 clubs in a tough field of the following 12 schools: Colorado (89), Colorado State (65), Hawaii (66), Long Beach State (86), Montana State, Nevada (71), Portland State (62), San Diego State (43), San Francisco (32), UNLV (21), Weber State (110), and Wyoming (140).

A quick look at the current national rankings on golfweek.com would have told the story before the tournament began. The No. 57 Cougars were outdone by UNLV (296-291-289--876), San Francisco (294-308-301--903), and San Diego State, the three teams that precede BYU in those rankings.

However, the Cougars, who in March finished third at the Bobcat Classic and second at the Anteater Invitational, are making a late-season climb up the national standings.

"Our program is moving in the right direction," assistant coach Dave DeSantis said.

The Dixie Classic was played for the first time at Entrada at Snow Canyon, a par-72 course that measures 6,150 yards.

The top individual was UNLV's Sunny Oh (70-72-73--215), who is ranked No. 30 in the nation.

The Cougars rest until April 22 when they fly to Sunriver, Ore. for the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

BYU Dixie Classic               St. George, Utah
April 5-6                       Entrada at Snow Canyon
Par: 72                         Yardage: 6,127
Fin.  Name                      Score
  4 	 Brigham Young  	          300-314-308--922  (+58)
T 9	  Rachel Newren            	75-77-74--226     (+10) 
T 17		Nicole Newren-Chandler    73-81-75--229     (+13)
T 19	 Natalie Newren           	75-75-80--230     (+14) 
  34 	Margaret Gibby           	77-83-79--239     (+23)
T 40 	Alexis Edwards           	82-81-80--243     (+27)
Fin.  School                    Score
  1 	 UNLV                     	296-291-289--876  (+12)
  2 	 San Francisco        	    294-308-301--903  (+39) 
  3 	 San Diego State      	    297-314-308--919  (+55) 
  4 	 Brigham Young      	      300-314-308--922  (+58) 
  5 	 Colorado State            318-303-308--929  (+65)
  6 	 Nevada        	           317-314-305--936  (+72)
  7 	 Portland State       	    314-312-313--939  (+75)
  8 	 Weber State       	       323-316-311--950  (+86)
  9 	 Hawaii           	        322-318-313--953  (+89)
  10	 Colorado        	         320-321-320--961  (+97)  
  11	 Long Beach State 	        314-335-329--978  (+114)
  12	 Montana State       	     320-332-339--991  (+127)
  13	 Wyoming                  	346-334-337--1017 (+153)
Fin.  Top 20 Players            School            Score           
  1	  Sunny Oh                  UNLV 	            70-72-73--215  (-1)
  2	  Seema Sadekar             UNLV 	            73-73-72--218  (+2)
  3   Mariko Shimozaki          San Francisco    	73-76-72--221  (+5)
  4	  Jenna Wilson              San Diego State  	70-80-72--222  (+6)
T 5  	Hannah Hoch              	Colorado        	 76-72-75--223  (+7)
T 5   Heather MacRae           	San Diego State  	71-75-77--223  (+7)
  7  	Sara Odelius              Hawaii           	81-73-70--224  (+8)
  8  	Nikki Jacoby              San Francisco    	74-77-74--225  (+9)
T 9  	Nicole de Gennaro         Nevada           	78-76-72--226  (+10)
T 9  	Dale Gammie               Hawaii           	71-76-79--226  (+10)
T 9	  Rachel Newren            	Brigham Young     75-77-74--226  (+10) 
T 12 	Jordan Auten              San Francisco    	72-79-77--228  (+12)
T 12  Hwanhee Lee	              UNLV             	77-75-76--228  (+12)
T 12	 Young Pak                 UNLV             	76-78-74--228  (+12)
T 12  Rebecca Randolph          Portland State   	73-78-77--228  (+12)
T 12	 Dawna Virdell             Colorado State   	76-71-81--228  (+12)
T 17 	Kristi Larsen             San Francisco    	75-76-78--229  (+13)
T 17	 Nicole Newren-Chandler  	 Brigham Young     73-81-75--229  (+13) 
T 19	 Shayna Miyajima           San Diego State  	75-79-76--230  (+14)
T 19 	Natalie Newren            Brigham Young     75-75-80--230  (+14)

PROVO -- The BYU women's golf team travels to sunny St. George, Utah to host the annual BYU Dixie Classic Monday and Tuesday, April 5-6.

The Dixie Classic, in its 18th year, is being held for the first time at Entrada at Snow Canyon, a par-72 course that measures 6,150 yards. Golf Digest recently dubbed Entrada one of the "Top Ten New Upscale Golf Courses" and the second-best course in Utah.

BYU, ranked 57th nationally by Golfweek.com, goes into its home tournament on a hot streak, with third and second place finishes in its last two tournaments, respectively. The Cougars have been paced by junior Margaret Gibby, who leads the team with a 77.0 stroke average and two top-10 finishes in her last two outings.

The Cougars finished 14th out of 22 teams in last year's Dixie Classic, firing a 54-hole score of 317-310-310--937. The Cougars were led by then freshman Danielle von Arnim (74-78-72--224), who finished 11th in the individual standings. UNLV, who took top honors in 2003 in a narrow three-stroke victory over the University of San Francisco, will return to defend its title.

BYU will compete against a tough field of 12 teams this year, including three top-50 clubs. They include the following: Colorado (89), Colorado State (65), Hawaii (66), Long Beach State (86), Montana State, Nevada (71), Portland State (62), San Diego State (43), San Francisco (32), UNLV (21), Weber State (110), and Wyoming (140).

The two-day event will consist of three rounds, 36 holes on Monday and 18 on Tuesday. It will begin with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. on Monday. Live scoring will be available at golfstat.com.

DIXIE CLASSIC QUICK FACTS

Date: April 5-6 (Monday & Tuesday)

Rounds: Three-rounds (54 holes); 36 holes on Monday, 18 holes on Tuesday

Tee Times: 8 a.m. shotgun on Monday, 8 a.m. start on Tuesday (all times Mountain Standard Time)

Course: Entrada at Snow Canyon (www.golfentrada.com)

Par: 72

Yardage: 6,150

2003 TEAM Champion: UNLV (307-307-292--906)

2003 Individual Champion: Jordan Auten, Univ. of San Francisco (73-72-73--218)

Tournament Director: : Sue Nyhus, Brigham Young University's head women's golf coach

TOURNAMENT Field (14 Teams): Brigham Young University, Colorado, Colorado State, Hawaii, Long Beach State, Montana State, Nevada, Portland State, San Diego State, San Francisco, UNLV, Weber State, Wyoming

Updates: Visit golfstat.com or www.byucougars.com for the most current results.