Laura Ianello is ready to bring Texas women’s golf its first national championship.

The 2018 national champion with the University of Arizona has led the Longhorns to much success in her first year, but she knows that there is more work to be done.

“If you ask any coach at the University of Texas, their goal is going to be, of course, to win a national championship,” Ianello said.

The burnt orange has seen a lot of success in recent years, winning the Big 12 five times in the last eight years. Members of the team have impressive individual accomplishments, like sophomore Farah O’Keefe, who won the Western Amateur Championship last July. Despite all of these achievements, the championship trophy has evaded the Longhorns.

Ianello stresses that to achieve their lofty goals, her golfers must take it one day at a time.

“I’m trying to make sure the ladies don’t just focus on the end results,” Ianello said. “Just making sure that we live where our feet are.”

Ianello’s transfer from Arizona to Austin was a big one. She spent five years as a player in the LPGA and 14 years as a coach in Tucson, so coming to the Forty Acres was a big change. Thankfully, it has been a smooth process.

“I think I have made the transition very well,” Ianello said. “I can honestly say I have felt more comfortable than I thought I would.”

She is not the only one getting acclimated to a new environment. Texas is getting used to playing in the Southeastern Conference with all its privileges, and Ianello welcomes the challenge.

“We are literally being tested against the best teams every week, which is how you get better,” Ianello said.

Ianello’s squad has definitely been tested recently, like at the Charles Schwab Women’s Collegiate, where they placed sixth. Despite the recent struggles, she is confident in her team’s ability.

“I feel really good about where this team is,” Ianello said. “At Charles Schwab we didn’t have our A-game, honestly we didn’t putt well … that is golf, and I think it gives us good feedback on where we struggled and that way we know in the next two weeks we know hey we need to dedicate plenty of time to capitalizing on birdie opportunities, make sure we’re hitting more greens and all of those kinds of things.”

Texas continues its road to the national title at the SEC Championship in Tampa, Florida, on April 14.