Just two short years ago, the Oregon women's golf team was celebrating a trip to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship tournament at Eugene Country Club.
The Ducks' lineup in 2016 featured two freshmen, Kathleen Scavo and Petra Salko. Afterward, UO coach Ria Scott recalled, the freshmen considered that the benchmark for the rest of their careers.
"Kathleen was like, 'That was awesome; let's do that again!'" Scott said.
Sure enough, Scavo and Salko helped the Ducks get back to the NCAA Championship event as sophomores in 2017. This week, they'll have the chance to make it three in a row — but they enter the start of NCAA Regional play Monday in San Francisco with a deeper respect for the challenge that is qualifying for nationals.