IRVINE, Calif. -- Head coach Julie Brooks is excited about the 2017-18 season with a squad full of seasoned veterans.

"We have a team of experienced players," Brooks said. "They know they have not reached their potential and are pushing each other to excel this year."

Last year, UCI placed in the top five in six of 10 tournaments, including winning the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic.

The Anteaters return three All-Big West honorees Kaley In, Avery French and Janet Yeo.

In led the team in scoring average a year ago with a 74.76 mark over 26 rounds. She had three top 10 finishes and three top 20 performances last year.

French, who was third in scoring at 75.31, had four top 10 performances, including a third place finish in her first tournament as an Anteater. She shot two rounds of 69 and a career-best 68 at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic where she finished third.

Yeo joined the squad in January and made an immediate impact. She had three top 10 finishes and a 74.87 scoring average.

The rest of the lineup is anchored by seniors Breanne Jones and sophomore Sabrina Li.

Jones had a season-best ninth place finish at the Fresno State Classic, while Li played in 18 rounds last year, posting a season-low 74 twice.

Senior Camille Wagg also returns after owning a 76.74 scoring average and a fifth place finish at the NMSU Aggie Invitational.

Grace Ferrell, Joy Kim and Jacqui Ngo round out the rest of the returnees.

Newcomers looking to battle for playing time include Danielle Lee, Jessie Goodman and Madison Riggs.

Lee is a transfer from Arizona where she played two years for the Wildcats. Goodman hails from San Antonio, TX and was prepped at Winston Churchill High School, while Riggs hails from John Burroughs High School in Burbank.

"Danielle contributed some great scores to the Wildcat team and her experience will help us get to the next level," Brooks continued. "We also have two great freshman, Maddie from California and Jessie from Texas. They bring great energy and enthusiasm to the team and both will add to our depth."

UCI will be hosting the UC Irvine Invitational Oct. 30-31 at the Santa Ana Country Club as well as the Big West Championship at Strawberry Farms Golf Course Apr. 15-17.

"This team has the potential to do some special things," Brooks ended. "I'm excited to see how they compete and continue to improve on every facet of the game as the season goes on."

First up on the 2017 schedule is the Colonel Wollenberg Ptarmigan Ram Classic hosted by Colorado State beginning Sunday-Tuesday (Sept. 17-19) at the Ptarmigan Country Club.

Teams will play 18 holes each day, beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday and Monday and concludes with a 9:00 a.m. shotgun start on Tuesday.

The tournament field includes Colorado State, Boise State, Gonzaga, Long Beach State, Indiana, Nevada, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, UNCG, Portland State, San Francisco, San Jose State and Wyoming.

The Anteater squad will feature Kaley In, Avery French, Sabrina Li, Danielle Lee, Janet Yeo and Breanne Jones

Live scoring will be provided by golfstat.com

Last year, UCI finished second at the event (298-292-295-885), with Avery French placing third (212) and Kaley in finishing seventh (217).