Sunday, February 1
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Kansas State University
vs
Puerto Rico Classic
Cats Open Spring Season in Puerto Rico
Jan 30, 2026 | Women's Golf
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Coming in at No. 26 in the initial National Collegiate Golf Rankings of the spring, the Kansas State women's golf team begins its push for a second-straight postseason appearance this Sunday through Tuesday, as the Wildcats compete in the Puerto Rico Classic held at the par-72, 6,305-yard Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
This is the third-straight season the Wildcats will compete in Puerto Rico, looking to improve off a ninth-place finish in 2024 and an eighth-place showing a year ago.
"We are looking forward to going back to Puerto Rico," head coach Stew Burke said. "We have made the best out of a bad weather situation by putting in some nice work indoors since the ladies returned to campus. The field for this event is stacked with teams in the top 25, which gives us the perfect start to our season. Ultimately, our goal is to move inside that number at week's end. Fortunately, nearly all of the ladies have played in this tournament before, so they know what to expect from the course and conditions. Kelsey (Chen) had a top-10 last year, so she is very comfortable on this layout. The road back to California starts Sunday, and I cannot wait to see us back competing against the best."
K-State is coming off a fall season in which it placed in the top four in four of its five events, including a victory at the Powercat Invitational in October to close out the fall slate.
The Wildcats will be joined at Grand Reserve by five teams ranked in the top 25 in No. 4 Arkansas, No. 10 Vanderbilt, No. 14 North Carolina, No. 15 Ole Miss and No. 20 Northwestern. The rest of the field includes Furman, Georgia Southern, Iowa, Iowa State, LSU, Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State, North Florida, North Texas, host-school Purdue and UNC Wilmington.
Kansas State will use the lineup of sophomores Nanami Nakashima and Kelsey Chen, senior Noa van Beek, sophomore Julia Ballester Barrio and freshman Keen Visavapattamawan.
Nakashima, a native of Kani, Japan, ranks second on the team with a 72.07 scoring average over 14 rounds, highlighted by her first-career victory to close out the fall in the Powercat Invitational thanks to a three-round total of 5-under par 211.
Chen is third on the squad with a 72.79 scoring average as she posted two top-10 finishes in the fall, which included a third-place showing in the Powercat Invitational. Last season while playing for Georgia Southern, Chen recorded a sixth-place finish in the Puerto Rico Classic at 3-under par 213, the best placing and 54-hole score of her freshman campaign.
van Beek leads the team with a 71.79 scoring average in addition to ranking fourth in school history with a 74.04 career average. The Oene, Netherlands, product ended the fall on fire by tying for sixth in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational and fourth in the OU Intercollegiate before a runner-up finish to close out the fall in the Powercat Invitational.
Ballester Barrio, who hails from Castellon, Spain, is making her season scoring-lineup debut this week after playing as an individual in the OU Intercollegiate and Powercat Invitational, the latter event in which she tied for 23rd place.
Visavapattamawan posted a 73.57 scoring average in the fall while playing in all five events. The Bangkok, Thailand, native recorded four top-20 showings, which included an 11th-place finish in the Powercat Invitational.
An 8:30 a.m. AT (6:30 a.m. CT) shotgun start begins play at the Puerto Rico Classic on Sunday and Monday, while Tuesday's final round will begin at 7:30 a.m. AT (5:30 a.m. CT). Live results can be followed on SCOREBOARD powered by Clippd.
This is the third-straight season the Wildcats will compete in Puerto Rico, looking to improve off a ninth-place finish in 2024 and an eighth-place showing a year ago.
"We are looking forward to going back to Puerto Rico," head coach Stew Burke said. "We have made the best out of a bad weather situation by putting in some nice work indoors since the ladies returned to campus. The field for this event is stacked with teams in the top 25, which gives us the perfect start to our season. Ultimately, our goal is to move inside that number at week's end. Fortunately, nearly all of the ladies have played in this tournament before, so they know what to expect from the course and conditions. Kelsey (Chen) had a top-10 last year, so she is very comfortable on this layout. The road back to California starts Sunday, and I cannot wait to see us back competing against the best."
K-State is coming off a fall season in which it placed in the top four in four of its five events, including a victory at the Powercat Invitational in October to close out the fall slate.
The Wildcats will be joined at Grand Reserve by five teams ranked in the top 25 in No. 4 Arkansas, No. 10 Vanderbilt, No. 14 North Carolina, No. 15 Ole Miss and No. 20 Northwestern. The rest of the field includes Furman, Georgia Southern, Iowa, Iowa State, LSU, Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State, North Florida, North Texas, host-school Purdue and UNC Wilmington.
Kansas State will use the lineup of sophomores Nanami Nakashima and Kelsey Chen, senior Noa van Beek, sophomore Julia Ballester Barrio and freshman Keen Visavapattamawan.
Nakashima, a native of Kani, Japan, ranks second on the team with a 72.07 scoring average over 14 rounds, highlighted by her first-career victory to close out the fall in the Powercat Invitational thanks to a three-round total of 5-under par 211.
Chen is third on the squad with a 72.79 scoring average as she posted two top-10 finishes in the fall, which included a third-place showing in the Powercat Invitational. Last season while playing for Georgia Southern, Chen recorded a sixth-place finish in the Puerto Rico Classic at 3-under par 213, the best placing and 54-hole score of her freshman campaign.
van Beek leads the team with a 71.79 scoring average in addition to ranking fourth in school history with a 74.04 career average. The Oene, Netherlands, product ended the fall on fire by tying for sixth in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational and fourth in the OU Intercollegiate before a runner-up finish to close out the fall in the Powercat Invitational.
Ballester Barrio, who hails from Castellon, Spain, is making her season scoring-lineup debut this week after playing as an individual in the OU Intercollegiate and Powercat Invitational, the latter event in which she tied for 23rd place.
Visavapattamawan posted a 73.57 scoring average in the fall while playing in all five events. The Bangkok, Thailand, native recorded four top-20 showings, which included an 11th-place finish in the Powercat Invitational.
An 8:30 a.m. AT (6:30 a.m. CT) shotgun start begins play at the Puerto Rico Classic on Sunday and Monday, while Tuesday's final round will begin at 7:30 a.m. AT (5:30 a.m. CT). 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.
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.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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