K-State, Bernat Capture MountainView Collegiate Titles

TUCSON, Ariz. – Led by individual champion Carla Bernat, the Kansas State women's golf team turned in a final-round score of 5-under par 283 on Tuesday to run away with the team title of the MountainView Collegiate held at the par-72, 6,345-yard Preserve Golf Club.

No. 30 K-State, which turned in the best final-round score among the 14-team field by eight shots, was battling with No. 18 Arizona and 13th-ranked TCU before taking control of the event midway through the round. The Wildcats recorded a 54-hole score of 4-over par 868, 10 shots better than Arizona and 11 strokes ahead of the Horned Frogs. It tied for the fourth-largest margin of victory in the 26-year history of the MountainView Collegiate.

Bernat, a former transfer from Tulane, earned a nine-shot victory at 11-under par 205 to tally her seventh collegiate win and fourth as a Wildcat to tie for second in program history.

"Today was a really great day," head coach Stew Burke said. "We started out strong and kept the round going, gaining momentum as we went along. We knew that the teams around us were also playing well, and the ladies held their composure in what were tricky conditions. I am delighted with the final round from Alenka (Navarro) and the fight back by Noa (van Beek), but it was an unbelievable tournament by Carla to get her seventh college win."

This week marked Kansas State's first win at the MountainView Collegiate since 2002, while it was the 20th victory all-time in program history and third under Burke. Additionally, K-State's six top-five finishes this season are tied for fourth in school history and are the most since the 2003-04 team had seven. The Wildcats' third-round score and 54-hole score at the MountainView Collegiate ranked 16th and 17th in school history, respectively.

Bernat posted the 24th individual championship in school history and fifth under Burke. The third Wildcat to win the MountainView Collegiate and first since Christine Boucher in 2003, Bernat's nine-shot win was the largest margin of victory in event history. Additionally, her winning tally of 205 tied for the sixth-lowest individual score in event history and tied for third in program history.

Bernat's path to a dominating win was fueled by a bogey-free round of 5-under par 67 as she was the only player to go under par in all three rounds. She now has 10 rounds in the 60s this season, just three shy of her career-best total from last year.

K-State's and Bernat's victory marked the ninth time in MountainView Collegiate history that a program took home both the team and individual titles, including the third-straight year.

Sophomore Alenka Navarro was also a driving force behind Tuesday's final round as she posted a score of 3-under par 69, rising 26 spots up the leaderboard to tie for 11th place at 5-over par 221. The Mexico City native tallied her third top-20 finish this season thanks to her second-lowest round of the year, which was highlighted by a bogey-free and 3-under par front 9.

Junior Noa van Beek turned in her second-straight round of even-par 72 by countering five-straight bogeys on the front 9 with five total birdies on the day, including a 3-under par back 9. The Oene, Netherlands, native registered her first top-10 finish this season and third of her career by tying for seventh place at 3-over par 219.

Freshman Nanami Nakashima tied for 30th place at 10-over par 226. Senior Sophie Bert put together a counting round of 3-over par 75 on Tuesday as she moved up one spot to tie for 51st place at 14-over par 230. Playing as an individual, Julia Ballester Barrio tied for 23rd place at 8-over par 224.

"It's now a quick turnaround before we head to Palm Desert for our next tournament," Burke said. "We will do our best to rest up and try to continue the momentum in the last event before a short break."

Kansas State is right back in action next Monday and Tuesday at the Yale Invitational West held at PGA WEST in La Quinta, California.

– 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.

K-State, Bernat Capture MountainView Collegiate Titles

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Players Mentioned

Julia Ballester Barrio

Carla Bernat

Sophie Bert

Nanami Nakashima

Alenka Navarro

Noa van Beek