K-State Finishes Second at Silicon Valley Showcase

MILLBRAE, Calif. – The 30th-ranked Kansas State women's golf team recorded its school-record tying sixth top-three finish of the season as the Wildcats concluded play at the Silicon Valley Showcase in second place following Tuesday's final round at the par-71, 6,084-yard Green Hills Country Club.

Kansas State, which tied with the 2003-04 squad for most top-three showings, extended its school record with its fifth first- or second-place finish. Additionally, the Wildcats have finished fifth or better in seven of their 10 events this season, which is tied for third in program history.

K-State carded a score of 3-over par 287 on Tuesday to complete the event at 3-over par 855, which ranks as the sixth-best 54-hole score in school history. Kansas State was in contention for its third victory of the season until the final few holes as the Cats fell just one shot shy of No. 42 Pepperdine. The Wildcats and Waves were the only two teams to finish better than 16-over par on the difficult track that played on average 31-over par among the nine-team field.

"It was a really great battle with Pepperdine today coming down the stretch. We had our chances to tie it up or possibly win on the final few holes, but we just couldn't get it done," said head coach Stew Burke, whose team finished first in the field in par-3 (3.03) and par-5 (4.84) scoring. "It shows that we can battle under pressure and stay composed when things don't go our way. They have come a long way in this regard this season, and I know there is a lot of good golf in front of this team. This week also gets us to 100 wins on the season, which softens the blow of another runner-up finish. We have a couple of weeks at home to prepare for the Big 12 Championship and get everyone caught up on school. The focus will remain the same, which is to rest up, recover and stay ready to go."

Kansas State had four of its five players finish in the top 20, led by senior Carla Bernat, who rose four spots on the final day to tie for third place at 3-under par 210, one of only six under-par scores among the 51-player field. The Castellon, Spain, native produced her career-high tying 13th round in the 60s this season at 2-under par 69, which included a bogey-free 1-under par showing on the front 9.

A former transfer from Tulane, Bernat recorded her sixth top-five finish this season, 20th of her collegiate career and 12th as a Wildcat, the latter of which ranks second in school history. Her 54-hole score tied for 17th place in school history as she has finished at even par or under par in all 10 events this season.

Another senior, Sophie Bert, joined Bernat in the top 10 as she tied for ninth place at 2-over par 215. It was her sixth top-10 finish this season after transferring from East Tennessee State with seven top-10 finishes in her previous three seasons.

Junior Noa van Beek finished one shot back of Bert and in a tie for 11th place, her third top-20 showing this season. After recording an opening-round score of 77 on Monday morning, she bounced back with a 4-under par 67 on Monday afternoon and turned in a 1-over par score on Tuesday to improve one spot on the leaderboard during the final round.

Alenka Navarro went 2-over par 73 on Tuesday to remain in a tie for 18th place at 6-over par 219. It was the sophomore's fourth top-20 finish this season, tying her mark from last season. A native of Mexico City, Navarro led the field by going a collective 3-under par on the par 3s.

Freshman Nanami Nakashima matched Navarro's final-round tally as she improved five spots on the leaderboard to finish in 22nd place at 9-over par 222.

Pepperdine's Eunseo Choi earned the individual title at 5-under par 208, one shot ahead of San Francisco's Yu Shang.

Next action for Bernat comes at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, April 2-5, at Champions Retreat Golf Club and Augusta National Golf Club. As a team, the Wildcats will have three weeks of preparation before the 2025 Big 12 Championship, April 15-17, at Houston Oaks Golf Club in Hockley, Texas.

– 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

Carla Bernat

Sophie Bert

Nanami Nakashima

Alenka Navarro

Noa van Beek

Players Mentioned

Carla Bernat

Sophie Bert

Nanami Nakashima

Alenka Navarro

Noa van Beek

Kansas State University Athletics