Saturday, October 3
Fayetteville, Ark.
Kansas State University
vs
Blessings Collegiate Invitational
K-State Notches Top-Five Finish at Blessings Collegiate Invitational
Oct 05, 2026 | Women's Golf
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – After a final-round total of 11-over par 299 on Monday, the Kansas State women golf team recorded a fifth-place finish in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational held at the par-72, 6,503-yard Blessings Golf Club.
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The Wildcats concluded the 54-hole event at 38-over par 902, four shots behind fourth-place Kent State and 11 shots ahead of sixth-place North Texas.
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"Today was a pretty solid round," head coach Stew Burke said. "We had it going early, but we just had a wobble in the middle. Overall, on what is an extremely difficult golf course, this was a lot better than yesterday. This is the type of golf course that exposes weaknesses and shows us where we need to get better if we are going to maintain a postseason push."
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K-State was led in Arkansas by junior Kelsey Chen, who finished in eighth place at 3-over par 219 following a round of 1-over par 73 on Monday. It was her second-straight finish in the top 10 after winning the Powercat Classic last week, marking the third time in the last two seasons she has had consecutive top-10 finishes. The Dalian, China, native recorded three-straight birdies in the final round on Nos. 14-16, as she tied for ninth in the field with 10 birdies over the three rounds.
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The Wildcats had two other players finish in the top 15 in freshman Amy Wang and junior Nanami Nakashima. Wang rose one spot on Monday to finish in a tie for 11th place at 8-over par 224 after a final-round total of 4-over par 76. It was the best finish of Wang's young career. Nakashima also tallied a final-round score of 4-over par 76 to finish in a tie for 15th place at 10-over par 226, collecting her third-straight finish in the top 15.
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"It was a great week for Kelsey getting a top-10 finish and also a solid week for Amy," said Burke. "Moving forward, we need to make sure our bottom end is supporting the top end of the lineup, and this will be what we will be working on over the next few weeks."
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Sophomore Keen Visavapattamawan was K-State's largest riser on the day, moving up nine spots to tie for 30th place at 18-over par 234 thanks to a final-round score of 2-over par 74 that featured a pair of birdies on the back 9.
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Senior Julia Ballester Barrio finished in 39th place with a 54-hole score of 25-over par 241.
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Alabama earned a wire-to-wire victory at 4-over par 868, finishing eight shots ahead of homestanding Arkansas. The Razorbacks had the individual champion in Maria Jose Marin with a 54-hole score of 12-under par 204, which included a final-round total of 5-under par 67.
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K-State is back in action October 19-21 when the Wildcats conclude the fall slate at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational held at the Ocean Course at Hokuala in Lihue, Hawai'i.
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The Wildcats concluded the 54-hole event at 38-over par 902, four shots behind fourth-place Kent State and 11 shots ahead of sixth-place North Texas.
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"Today was a pretty solid round," head coach Stew Burke said. "We had it going early, but we just had a wobble in the middle. Overall, on what is an extremely difficult golf course, this was a lot better than yesterday. This is the type of golf course that exposes weaknesses and shows us where we need to get better if we are going to maintain a postseason push."
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K-State was led in Arkansas by junior Kelsey Chen, who finished in eighth place at 3-over par 219 following a round of 1-over par 73 on Monday. It was her second-straight finish in the top 10 after winning the Powercat Classic last week, marking the third time in the last two seasons she has had consecutive top-10 finishes. The Dalian, China, native recorded three-straight birdies in the final round on Nos. 14-16, as she tied for ninth in the field with 10 birdies over the three rounds.
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The Wildcats had two other players finish in the top 15 in freshman Amy Wang and junior Nanami Nakashima. Wang rose one spot on Monday to finish in a tie for 11th place at 8-over par 224 after a final-round total of 4-over par 76. It was the best finish of Wang's young career. Nakashima also tallied a final-round score of 4-over par 76 to finish in a tie for 15th place at 10-over par 226, collecting her third-straight finish in the top 15.
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"It was a great week for Kelsey getting a top-10 finish and also a solid week for Amy," said Burke. "Moving forward, we need to make sure our bottom end is supporting the top end of the lineup, and this will be what we will be working on over the next few weeks."
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Sophomore Keen Visavapattamawan was K-State's largest riser on the day, moving up nine spots to tie for 30th place at 18-over par 234 thanks to a final-round score of 2-over par 74 that featured a pair of birdies on the back 9.
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Senior Julia Ballester Barrio finished in 39th place with a 54-hole score of 25-over par 241.
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Alabama earned a wire-to-wire victory at 4-over par 868, finishing eight shots ahead of homestanding Arkansas. The Razorbacks had the individual champion in Maria Jose Marin with a 54-hole score of 12-under par 204, which included a final-round total of 5-under par 67.
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K-State is back in action October 19-21 when the Wildcats conclude the fall slate at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational held at the Ocean Course at Hokuala in Lihue, Hawai'i.
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– k-statesports.com –
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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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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
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