Wildcats Finish Eighth in Initial Spring Event

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – Facing a difficult 18-team field that featured 12 teams ranked in the top 50 of the National Collegiate Golf Rankings, the Kansas State women's golf team more than held its own at the Puerto Rico Classic as the Wildcats finished in eighth place at 10-over par 874 following Tuesday's final round at the par-72, 6,305-yard Grand Reserve Golf Club.

K-State received a pair of even-par scores on Tuesday from senior Carla Bernat and freshman Nanami Nakashima en route to a final-round tally of 5-over par 293. The 30th-ranked Wildcats picked up wins over four teams ranked in the top 50 of the National Collegiate Golf Rankings in No. 32 Iowa State, No. 33 Purdue, No. 37 Georgia Southern and No. 42 Minnesota, while K-State finished four shots behind a sixth-place tie between No. 16 LSU and No. 20 Auburn.

"There was lots of good this week but also a lot to improve upon," head coach Stew Burke said. "The ladies really competed well in elite company, but we just didn't get the breaks we needed to close in on the teams above us. For the first event of the spring season, I am pleased at where we are. However, it was an opportunity missed to defeat some teams that will be competing for the National Championship in May. We are looking forward to getting back to Manhattan and preparing for our next event in a few weeks."

Bernat led the Wildcats by concluding the event in a tie for 18th place at even-par 216 after parring every hole during the final round. A native of Castellon, Spain, Bernat has finished at even or under par in all six events this season and 14 of her 17 stroke-play events as a Wildcat dating back to last season.

Nakashima bounced back from a 5-over par day on Monday to also turn in an even-par score in the final round with a birdie on No. 9 and a bogey on No. 1. The Kani, Japan, native, who tied for second among the 100-player field with 42 pars over the three rounds, rose eight spots on the leaderboard on Tuesday to tie for 37th place.

Senior Sophie Bert recorded a final-round score of 1-over par 73, and her day was featured by an eagle on the par-4 17th hole. The Deurle, Belgium, product tied for 39th place at 5-over par 221 as she tied for fifth in the field by going a collective 4-under par on par-5 holes.

Junior Noa van Beek tied for 51st place with a 54-hole score of 7-over par 223 after a final-round tally of 4-over par 76. Sophomore Julia Ballester Barrio tied for 78th place at 12-over par 228 as she carded a score of 5-over par 77 on Tuesday.

Second-ranked Arkansas ran away with the team title thanks to a final-round total of 15-under par 273, as the Razorbacks earned a 13-shot victory at 19-under par 845. Arkansas' Maria Jose Marin held off LSU's Rocio Tejedo with a two-shot win at 9-under par 207.

Next action for the Wildcats is at the Westbrook Invitational, February 23 and 24, at Westbrook Village Golf Club in Peoria, Arizona.

– 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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Julia Ballester Barrio

Carla Bernat

Sophie Bert

Nanami Nakashima

Noa van Beek

Players Mentioned

Julia Ballester Barrio

Carla Bernat

Sophie Bert

Nanami Nakashima

Noa van Beek

Kansas State University Athletics