Women's Golf | 2/25/2024 5:42:00 PM
Utah Tech came away with a 13
th-place finish at the Western Michigan-hosted Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational, which was played on Friday-through-Sunday at Rio Verde Country Club in Rio Verde, Ariz.
The Trailblazers played lights out during their opening round on Friday and had left the course with a two-stroke lead on the 21-team field after combining to fire a 1-under 287.
However a rules infraction was called on Utah Tech following the round that caused the Blazers to disqualify one of their Friday scores, which dropped the team from first to t-seventh overall (299; +11).
Utah Tech then followed that up with a second round 12-over 300 on Saturday, and a final round 8-over par 296 on Sunday to finish with a team total of plus-31 895, which was the lowest 54-hole score in program history.
In addition, the Trailblazers' 36-hole score of 595 tied a program record, while their final round 296 tied for the second-lowest 18 hole score in program history.
Two Trailblazers finished in the top-20 on the player leaderboard, led by sophomore
Brooke Gelinas, who placed solo 11
th at even par 216, which was one stroke off of her school record 54-hole score of 215 she set last spring at the Northern Arizona Red Rocks Inv'l.
Gelinas was tied for fourth after an opening 2-under 70, and was alone in fifth following an ever par 72. Though the sophomore closed with a 2-over 74, she did wind up with her second-consecutive 11
th-place individual showing overall.
Fellow sophomore
Jane Olson was tied for second after opening with a 3-under 69, which tied for the second-lowest individual 18-hole round in school history. Olson followed that up with rounds of 5-over 77 and 1-over 73, that moved her into a tie for 19
th at plus-3 219.
Meanwhile sophomore
Jenna Anderson (78-76-77) was in a pack of four golfers tied for 67
th at plus-15 231, and sophomore
Corinne Lillywhite (82-75-79) finished t-87
th at plus-20 236.
Senior
Grace Williams was on the unfortunate end of last Friday's first round ruling, which disqualified her opening 70 and wiped out her second round on Saturday. However she did rebound to fire a 72 on her final loop.
Utah Tech will stay close to home as the Trailblazers will tee it up at the Southern Utah/Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invite, which will be played at Sunbrook Golf Course in St. George on March 7-9.
