Women's Golf | 4/10/2024 4:29:00 PM

Utah Tech shattered six school scoring records on its way to a t-sixth place finish at the regular season-ending Montana State Bobcat Desert Classic, which was played on Monday-through-Wednesday at The Golf Course of Estrella in Goodyear, Ariz.
 
The t-sixth place showing was Utah Tech's seventh team top-10 finish in nine team events this season.
 
The Trailblazers got off to a torrid start on Monday with their first under-par team round in the program's brief history, a 4-under par 284, which placed them third on the team leaderboard. The 284 team score eclipsed the previous 18-hole scoring record of even par 288, which was carded in the final round of the 2023-24 season-opening Utah Valley Collegiate Invitational last September (9/12/23).
 
Utah Tech then chased that with a 6-over 294, and even though it dropped the Blazers into a three-way tie for seventh on the leaderboard, the team's two-round total of plus-2 578 broke the program's previous 36-hole record of 587 posted at the UVU event.
 
The Trailblazers closed with a final round 7-over 295 for a team total of plus-9 873, which bettered the school's previous 54-hole scoring mark of 875 recorded at the same UVU Invite.
 
Freshman Mia Cesarek helped lead the charge, which she started by smashing the school 18-hole scoring record with an opening 6-under 66. Cesarek's 66 was also her second collegiate under par round overall, and was the lowest score shot by a Trailblazer during the program's current NCAA Division-I transition.
 
Cesarek broke the school record previously held by former Blazer standout Katie Ford, who fired a 4-under 68 nearly five years ago to the day in the second round of the 2019 Western New Mexico Mustang Invitational (4/6/2019). 
 
Cesarek followed with a second round 1-over 73, and her two-round score of minus-5 139 broke Ford's 36-hole record of minus-2 142 she carded in the first two rounds of the CSU-Pueblo Spring Inv'l (3/25-26/18) during the 2017-18 season. The freshman then closed with a 3-over 75 to finish in a five-way tie for 5^th at minus-2 214.
 
Meanwhile, senior Grace Williams made a little history of her own as she broke the Utah Tech 54-hole scoring record in placing fourth overall at minus-3 213. Williams began her tourney with a solid 4-under 68 on Monday, which she followed with an even par 72 and a final round 73. 
 
Williams broke the program's 54-hole record set last season by her teammate Brooke Gelinas, who posted a three-round minus-1 215 at the Northern Arizona Red Rocks Inv'l (3/18-19/23). 
 
Speaking of Gelinas, the sophomore strung together a solid three rounds, opening with a 3-over 75, which she followed with rounds of 73 and 72 to tie five others for 26^th at plus-4 220.
 
Sophomore Jane Olson (75-78-75) wound up tied for 68^th at plus-12 228, freshman Samantha Phelan (79-76-80) followed in t-86^th at plus-19 235, and sophomore Corinne Lillywhite (86-81-85) placed 97^th playing as an individual at plus-36 252.

Utah Tech will wrap up the season at the 2024 Western Athletic Conference Women's Golf Championships, which will be held April 19-21, at The Rim Golf Club in Payson, Ariz.