In the public mind, the most celebrated play in UA sports history β a home run, a buzzer-beating basket, an unforgettable touchdown β is something close to this order:
Chuck Cecilβs 106-yard interception return to stun Rose Bowl-bound Arizona State in 1986.
Dave Shermetβs walk-off grand slam at the 1986 College World Series, overcoming a 7-0 Maine lead and opening the door for a UA national championship.
Salim Stoudamireβs 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to beat Oklahoma State in the 2005 Sweet 16.
Because womenβs college golf doesnβt have a wide audience, few Wildcats fans even know that in 1996, Arizona freshman Marisa Baena authored the single greatest βbuzzer-beaterβ in school history.
In a sudden-death playoff at the NCAA championships, Baena holed a 147-yard 7-iron shot β an eagle β giving Arizona the national title.
βI couldnβt believe it,β said Baena, who not only gave Arizona the national championship, but also won the NCAA individual title that hot afternoon near Palm Springs, California.
Who could?
The Wildcats tied San Jose State for the team title after four days of competition and were sent to a sudden-death playoff against the Spartans. All five players from both teams would play the par-5 18th hole; the team with the lowest cumulative score would be the national champion.
As Baena, the UAβs cleanup hitter, stood over her historic approach shot to the green from 147 yards, Arizona needed a birdie to tie the Spartans. The drama intensified. Three times Baena got in position to swing, and then backed away as ESPN personnel hustled to get in position.
βThis is the beginning of a really, really good history for the program,β said Baena, who was correct. The Wildcats followed by winning 1997 and 1998 Pac-10 championships and the 2000 NCAA title.
Marisa Baena predicted that Arizonaβs 1996 championship would be the start of something special. She was right.
Said Rick LaRose, who served as head coach of the UA menβs and womenβs teams from 1995-97: βIβm a little surprised we won it so soon; we donβt have the great depth, but the bottom of our lineup stepped up this week.β
It was a good story. Baena was almost a Wildcat by accident.
A foreign exchange student from Colombia, Baena spent her senior year of high school at Dixie High School in St. George, Utah. She agreed to attend UCLA, but that fell through when she struggled with high school English classes.
UCLA withdrew its scholarship offer in May 1995 and gave it to another recruit. Thatβs when LaRose and UA assistant coach Tom Brill got strongly involved in recruiting Baena, who had won the World Golf Junior championship when she was 14.
Baena said the most difficult part of becoming eligible at Arizona (or anywhere) was learning English.
βIβd study for three hours a night,β she told the Star. βIβd look up almost every word in the dictionary. It was a long process.β
She was so successful in adapting to the United States that she made the All-Pac-10 academic team in 1996, 1997 and 1998. She was also the NCAA Player of the Year in 1996 and 1997.
The β96 Wildcats were unusually young. Baena, a freshman, joined sophomores Heather Graff and Krissie Register to form a strong threesome. At the NCAA meet, Baena opened with a 70 to lead by four strokes on a day of strong winds and 100-degree temperatures. Arizona State, which had won NCAA championships in 1990, 1993, 1994 and 1995 was the favorite, and put itself in position to win again.
Entering the final round, Arizona and Stanford were tied for the lead. ASU was one stroke back.
But in the final round, Baena, Graff and Register rose to the occasion in a tight finish. San Jose State tied for first, with Texas one stroke back and UCLA three behind. ASU finished fifth.
Baena finished second in the U.S. Womenβs Amateur that summer, but declined a chance to leave Arizona and turn pro.
βIβve never taken golf as an obsession,β she told the Star. βIβm not someone who spends four hours a day on the driving range.β
Arizona entered the 1998 season, Baenaβs junior year, as a favorite to win another national championship. Baena was ranked No. 1 in college golf. But she suffered a left shoulder injury in February and it lingered for months.
Even though the UA finished No. 3 at the NCAA finals, Baena struggled, finishing 20th overall. UA freshman Jenna Daniels, who would win the 2000 national title, was Arizonaβs top finisher at No. 5.
βMy life was miserable for the last five months,β said Baena, who turned pro in August 1998. βIt made me realize how short your time can be to play golf at the top level.β
Baenaβs LPGA Tour career resulted in one victory β the 2005 HSBC World Match Play Championship β and 13 top-10 finishes. She earned $1.9 million in official money before retiring from the Tour in 2010.
Married with two children, Baena today lives in South Florida.
