K-State Finalizes 2023-24 Roster with Addition of Julia Ballester Barrio
Aug 17, 2023 | Women's Golf
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Kansas State women's golf put the final touches on its 2023-24 roster on Thursday with the signing of one of the top amateurs in the world, Julia Ballester Barrio, head coach Stew Burke announced.
Ballester Barrio, a native of Castellon, Spain who will be a freshman this upcoming season, has consistently ranked in the top 300 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).
"Julia is our final addition to the 2023 class, and I'm delighted that she chose K-State as her home for the next four years," Burke said. "She was highly recruited by some of the top programs in the country but felt we were the best fit for her development and goals as a player and student. She is a solid ballstriker with huge potential. I'm looking forward to watching her fulfill her potential and become the top player within a talented golf family."
Ranked as high as No. 276 in the world, Ballester Barrio has picked up five victories in WAGR events, most recently being the Campeonato de Castellon in March with a 54-hole score of 221, an event she also won in 2022. She also tied for first at the Campeonato de Alicante this past February with a score of 208.
Ballester Barrio capped off her summer with a top-20 finish at the European Ladies' Amateur Championship in Sweden when she tied for 17th with a 72-hole score of 3-over par 287 thanks to a final-round score of 3-under par 68.
She comes from an athletic family as both parents were Olympians representing Spain. Her father was a swimmer who also competed at the University of Florida, while her mother won a gold medal for Spain in field hockey.
Ballester Barrio is one of three newcomers for the Wildcats in 2023-24, the inaugural season under Burke and assistant coach Rinko Mitsunaga. Carla Bernat is a junior who transferred following an All-American season at Tulane, while Alenka Navarro joins the Wildcats as a freshman from Mexico City. K-State also returns five veteran golfers in seniors Haley Vargas - who earned an individual berth into the 2023 NCAA San Antonio Regional - Napua Glossner and Gabriela McNelly, junior Remington Isaac and sophomore Noa Van Beek.
The Wildcats open the 2023-24 campaign with the Schooner Fall Classic, September 23-25, at Belmar GC in Norman, Oklahoma.
Ballester Barrio, a native of Castellon, Spain who will be a freshman this upcoming season, has consistently ranked in the top 300 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).
"Julia is our final addition to the 2023 class, and I'm delighted that she chose K-State as her home for the next four years," Burke said. "She was highly recruited by some of the top programs in the country but felt we were the best fit for her development and goals as a player and student. She is a solid ballstriker with huge potential. I'm looking forward to watching her fulfill her potential and become the top player within a talented golf family."
Ranked as high as No. 276 in the world, Ballester Barrio has picked up five victories in WAGR events, most recently being the Campeonato de Castellon in March with a 54-hole score of 221, an event she also won in 2022. She also tied for first at the Campeonato de Alicante this past February with a score of 208.
Ballester Barrio capped off her summer with a top-20 finish at the European Ladies' Amateur Championship in Sweden when she tied for 17th with a 72-hole score of 3-over par 287 thanks to a final-round score of 3-under par 68.
She comes from an athletic family as both parents were Olympians representing Spain. Her father was a swimmer who also competed at the University of Florida, while her mother won a gold medal for Spain in field hockey.
Ballester Barrio is one of three newcomers for the Wildcats in 2023-24, the inaugural season under Burke and assistant coach Rinko Mitsunaga. Carla Bernat is a junior who transferred following an All-American season at Tulane, while Alenka Navarro joins the Wildcats as a freshman from Mexico City. K-State also returns five veteran golfers in seniors Haley Vargas - who earned an individual berth into the 2023 NCAA San Antonio Regional - Napua Glossner and Gabriela McNelly, junior Remington Isaac and sophomore Noa Van Beek.
The Wildcats open the 2023-24 campaign with the Schooner Fall Classic, September 23-25, at Belmar GC in Norman, Oklahoma.
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