The UCR women’s golf team competed in the Big West Tournament from April 15-17. The tournament marked the final competition for senior Jakeishya Le, who has been the team’s top performer throughout her time in the program. Le showed out in her final tournament, finishing sixth individually while leading her team to fifth place.
Le and the Highlander team as a whole started the tournament off shaky, with Le shooting a 77 and Riverside finishing the first round with a score of 308, the second-worst score of the round. Sophomore Ping Huang looked to keep up with Le throughout the tournament, and did a pretty good job as she also finished the first round with a score of 77. UCR improved their play in the second round, shooting a 300 which was the fourth-best score of the round. Le shot a 74, but it was Huang who shot a team-low 73 in round two. Sophomore Serena Chon also had an impressive second round and shot a 74. Le saved her best for the final round of the tournament where she shot a team-low 71. Huang finished three shots behind her in the round with a 74. Riverside as a whole finished with a 305 score in the third round and finished in a three-way tie for fifth place.
Le and Huang finished in fifth and eighth place in the tournament respectively. Senior Hana Furuichi and Chon both finished tied for 32nd place with a 236 tournament score. Sophomore Kayla Kwong finished 35th with a score of 238.
Le finishes her collegiate career as one of the best golfers in program history. Le was named Big West Co-Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-Conference as a freshman in the 2015-16 season. She followed that up by being only the second individual in program history to be selected to compete in the Lubbock NCAA Regional in 2016-17 and was again selected First-Team All-Conference. In her final season with the Highlanders, Le was once again the team’s most consistent performer and as a result was named to the Big West First-Team.
