K-State Women in Third, Men in Sixth After Day One in Arkansas
Sep 30, 2024 | Men's Golf, Women's Golf
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Led by senior Carla Bernat, Kansas State is in third place on the women's side, while the men's team is tied for sixth and within two shots of the top three after the first round of the Blessings Collegiate Invitational on Monday held at the par-72 Blessings Golf Club.
Bernat is tied for second place on the individual leaderboard following a first-round score of 4-under par 68, her third round in the 60s over six total rounds this season. She guided the Wildcats to a first-round team total of even-par 288.
"The ladies played a solid round today," head coach Stew Burke said. "We got off to a good start, hung in there when we needed to and executed while under pressure coming in. It was a total team effort today. The players knew the importance of getting the ball on the correct side of the hole, getting it in the fairway and keeping the energy good for the group. We are looking forward to seeing what tomorrow holds, but I'm really proud of how we performed today."
Senior Kobe Valociek led the Wildcat men on the first day at 1-over par 74 – which included a long birdie putt on No. 18 to close out the round – as he is tied for 12th place on the individual leaderboard. The Wildcats are tied with Louisville for sixth place at 13-over par 301, just two shots away from a tie for third place entering Tuesday's second round.
"I thought the guys did a really good job battling today," head coach Grant Robbins said. "It is such a tough golf course that if you are just a little bit off, it can cost you. We made a few course management errors that we will be able to correct going into the next two days. It's a bunched up leaderboard, and there's a lot of golf left. We just need to keep plugging away, put a couple of solid rounds together and see what happens."
Bernat went bogey free throughout the day as she tallied three birdies in her first four holes of the round while starting on the back 9, and she also collected a birdie on the par-5 5th hole toward the end of her round. She enters the second round tied for Julia Lopez Ramirez of Mississippi State, and the duo is three shots back of Maria Jose Marin of homesteading Arkansas.
The Wildcat women also received an under-par round from junior Noa van Beek, who shot a 1-under par 71 to open the event. Her round was jump started by an eagle on her first hole – the par-5 10th – and she had three birdies during the round. van Beek enters Tuesday's second round in a tie for seventh place.
Sophomore Alenka Navarro is tied for 18th place at 2-over par 74, one shot ahead of freshman Nanami Nakashima, who is tied for 25th place. Senior Sophie Bert is in 54th place following a first-round score of 14-over par 86.
In addition to his birdie on the final hole of the day, Valociek carded three other birdies during the round. Nicklaus Mason is one shot back of Valociek and tied for 18th place. Cooper Schultz and Ian McCrary each turned in a first-round score of 5-over par 77 and are tied for 33rd place, while JP Roller is tied for 42nd place at 6-over par 78.
Arkansas is atop the women's team standings at 9-under par 279. The men's leaderboard is led by LSU at 3-under par 285, two shots ahead of Mississippi State. Virginia Tech's Mehrbaan Singh and Mississippi State's Drew Wilson are tied for the individual lead on the men's side at 2-under par 70.
The K-State women's golf team begins the second round of the Blessings Collegiate Invitational on Tuesday with a 9:30 a.m., tee time off No. 1, while the men's squad will begin play on the 10th tee at 11 a.m.
Live results are available on SCOREBOARD Powered by Clippd, with the men's results available here and the women's results available here. GOLF Channel's live coverage begins at 3:30 p.m., with online viewing available here.
Bernat is tied for second place on the individual leaderboard following a first-round score of 4-under par 68, her third round in the 60s over six total rounds this season. She guided the Wildcats to a first-round team total of even-par 288.
"The ladies played a solid round today," head coach Stew Burke said. "We got off to a good start, hung in there when we needed to and executed while under pressure coming in. It was a total team effort today. The players knew the importance of getting the ball on the correct side of the hole, getting it in the fairway and keeping the energy good for the group. We are looking forward to seeing what tomorrow holds, but I'm really proud of how we performed today."
Senior Kobe Valociek led the Wildcat men on the first day at 1-over par 74 – which included a long birdie putt on No. 18 to close out the round – as he is tied for 12th place on the individual leaderboard. The Wildcats are tied with Louisville for sixth place at 13-over par 301, just two shots away from a tie for third place entering Tuesday's second round.
"I thought the guys did a really good job battling today," head coach Grant Robbins said. "It is such a tough golf course that if you are just a little bit off, it can cost you. We made a few course management errors that we will be able to correct going into the next two days. It's a bunched up leaderboard, and there's a lot of golf left. We just need to keep plugging away, put a couple of solid rounds together and see what happens."
Bernat went bogey free throughout the day as she tallied three birdies in her first four holes of the round while starting on the back 9, and she also collected a birdie on the par-5 5th hole toward the end of her round. She enters the second round tied for Julia Lopez Ramirez of Mississippi State, and the duo is three shots back of Maria Jose Marin of homesteading Arkansas.
The Wildcat women also received an under-par round from junior Noa van Beek, who shot a 1-under par 71 to open the event. Her round was jump started by an eagle on her first hole – the par-5 10th – and she had three birdies during the round. van Beek enters Tuesday's second round in a tie for seventh place.
Sophomore Alenka Navarro is tied for 18th place at 2-over par 74, one shot ahead of freshman Nanami Nakashima, who is tied for 25th place. Senior Sophie Bert is in 54th place following a first-round score of 14-over par 86.
In addition to his birdie on the final hole of the day, Valociek carded three other birdies during the round. Nicklaus Mason is one shot back of Valociek and tied for 18th place. Cooper Schultz and Ian McCrary each turned in a first-round score of 5-over par 77 and are tied for 33rd place, while JP Roller is tied for 42nd place at 6-over par 78.
Arkansas is atop the women's team standings at 9-under par 279. The men's leaderboard is led by LSU at 3-under par 285, two shots ahead of Mississippi State. Virginia Tech's Mehrbaan Singh and Mississippi State's Drew Wilson are tied for the individual lead on the men's side at 2-under par 70.
The K-State women's golf team begins the second round of the Blessings Collegiate Invitational on Tuesday with a 9:30 a.m., tee time off No. 1, while the men's squad will begin play on the 10th tee at 11 a.m.
Live results are available on SCOREBOARD Powered by Clippd, with the men's results available here and the women's results available here. GOLF Channel's live coverage begins at 3:30 p.m., with online viewing available here.
– k-statesports.com –
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Men's Golf, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Men's Golf, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Women's Golf
K-State Women's Golf | Carla Bernat ANWA Recognition
Tuesday, November 11
K-State Women's Golf | Behind The Scenes Photoshoot
Tuesday, November 11
K-State Men's Golf | Wildcat Invitational
Tuesday, November 11
K-State Men's Golf | Wildcat Invitational 2025 Recap
Thursday, September 11
