Oct. 11, 2011

Laredo, Texas - Taminie Panich (Junior, Glendale, California) is gaining national notoriety for the Texas A&M International University golf program, climbing to 4th in the NCAA D-II women's national rankings. It's the first time in TAMIU history that a golfer has achieved a national ranking.

Panich currently has a scoring average of 73.0, just one stroke behind the top ranked golfer in the country, Whitney McAteer of Northeastern State. Of the top five golfers in the country, four come from the south region, of which TAMIU is a member.

"Tammy is proof that this program has excellent bones and just needs talented muscle to surround it," said Head Coach Becca Mayeux. "She is the type of player that can get recruits excited to join our team and it's amazing the impact she has made on our program in such a short time. Her game is definitely going to take her places and it's exciting to have a player like that on our team. I'm also thankful for the support our team has received from the community. We are fortunate enough to be located in a great place to play golf and I'm excited about building a program Laredo can be proud of."

In the opening tournament of the season, The Northeastern State Classic, Panich took fifth place shooting 77-73 at Cherry Springs Golf Course in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She followed with a brilliant performance at the University of Central Oklahoma Classic bringing home fourth place and tying a school record with an opening round 69.

Panich will have an opportunity to increase her stock October 17th when the Dustdevils head to Dallas, Texas to take part in the Dallas Baptist Classic.