The UC Riverside Women’s Golf Team traveled to Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Arizona, to participate in the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic, which is hosted by the University of Wyoming.
The event took place April 3 to April 4, and players played the 18-hole course three times. The Highlanders finished seventh place in the team standings out of 21 schools, shooting a combined team score of +17 (881). Sacramento State took home the team title, shooting a combined team score of -4 (860).
Emma Bunch, a sophomore from Denmark who represents New Mexico State, was crowned the individual champion after posting -9 after three rounds. Bunch finished three strokes clear of runner-up, Leia Chung of Boise State.
The highest finisher in the individual tournament for the Highlanders was fifth-year student Mylan Hirata, who finished even par over the three rounds, shooting 73-72-71 (216) and T9. Hirata played all three rounds without a double-bogey or worse on any hole and had nine birdies and bogeys in the event.
Senior Vanessa Betancourt finished +4 for the tournament, shooting 74-76-70 (220) and T23. Betancourt caught fire on the back-nine in the final round, with birdies on hole 11, 12, and 16 to go with zero bogeys.
Mitzi Duarte finished T33 (+6), Janna Andaya finished T40 (+8), and Riley Shin finished T74 (+15). The women’s golf team will finish their season at the Big West Championships in Las Vegas at Spanish Trail Country Club (April 14-16).
