Cats Set to Co-Host MountainView Collegiate

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Fresh off a third-place finish last week in Arizona, the Kansas State women's golf team returns to The Grand Canyon State to co-host the MountainView Collegiate, Sunday through Tuesday, at the par-72, 6,345-yard Preserve Golf Club in Tucson, Arizona.

Co-hosted with Missouri, this is the 26th edition of the MountainView Collegiate, and the event has been held every year since 1999 with the exception of 2020 when it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As the co-host of the event, we are delighted to offer such a great experience to our players and are thankful for all the support we have within the MountainView and SaddleBrooke community," head coach Stew Burke said.

The 30th-ranked Wildcats are part of a strong 14-team field that also includes No. 13 TCU, No. 18 Arizona, No. 37 Oklahoma and No. 47 Miami in the top 50 of the latest National Collegiate Golf Rankings. The rest of the field consists of Cincinnati, Furman, Hawai'i, Iowa, Marshall, Missouri, Nebraska, Wichita State and Wisconsin.

"We are really looking forward to the chance to compete this week," said Burke, whose team tied the program's 54-hole score record of 840 last time out at the Westbrook Invitational. "The players especially enjoy the three-day format as it gives us a little bit more time between rounds to evaluate and recover. This is a good field and will be a test of our credentials against some of the top teams in the country. We've had a good couple of days of practice at home, and the weather has been very kind as we are looking forward to continuing the momentum that we built up at the Westbrook Invitational."

The top four of K-State's lineup remains unchanged as seniors Sophie Bert and Carla Bernat, junior Noa van Beek and freshman Nanami Nakashima will be joined by sophomore Alenka Navarro. Additionally, sophomore Julia Ballester Barrio will compete as an individual.

Bert, a product of Deurle, Belgium, is coming off a school-record tying 54-hole score of 12-under par 204 at the Westbrook Invitational en route to a second-place tie. Her performance included a school-record performance of 9-under par 63 in the second round, breaking the program's top mark that stood for over 22 years. Bert, who holds a season scoring average of 72.60, rose 69 spots into the top 200 of the National Collegiate Golf Rankings with her play last week.

Bernat enters play this week ranked 34th nationally thanks to a team-leading 70.25 scoring average with four top-five finishes. The school's current career scoring average leader at 70.65, Bernat is coming off a fifth-place showing at the Westbrook Invitational following a 54-hole score of 10-under par 206. During last year's MountainView Collegiate, the Castellon, Spain, native finished in third place at 7-under par 209, leading the Wildcats to a seventh-place showing among a field that included seven teams ranked in the top 50.

Like Bernat, van Beek is a returner to the MountainView Collegiate after playing in the event each of the last two seasons, including a score of even-par 216 in 2023. The Oene, Netherlands, native has been a member of the scoring lineup in all eight events this season and holds a 74.20 scoring average.

Nakashima ranks fourth on the team with a 73.30 average following a score of 1-over par 217 last week. Navarro is in the scoring lineup for a sixth time this season and first time this spring as she carries a 73.18 scoring average. Ballester Barrio is seeing time for a third-straight event and fourth time overall this season, averaging 74.67 strokes per round this season.

Tee times beginning at 8 a.m. (MST) off the first and 10th tees will start the first and second rounds of the MountainView Collegiate on Sunday and Monday, while Tuesday's final round will hold an 8:15 a.m. (MST), shotgun start. Live results can be followed on SCOREBOARD powered by Clippd.

– k-statesports.com –

How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Women's Golf, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Julia Ballester Barrio

Carla Bernat

Sophie Bert

Nanami Nakashima

Alenka Navarro

Noa van Beek

Kansas State University Athletics