The New Mexico State women’s golf team powered through the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic to tie for third in a highly competitive 17-team field.
The Aggies finished with a three-day score of 877 (+13), tying them for third against Boise State and San Diego State University. The field of fierce competitors kept the Crimson and White on their toes, with many of the players tying in their final round.
The 106-player field teed off on April 3 at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club, wrapping up the third and final round early the next day. This is the Aggies second consecutive tournament in Arizona, with the team taking on the Cowgirl Classic four days after taking sixteenth place at the Arizona State University/Ping invitational.
The Aggies were led by sophomore Emma Bunch who edged out Boise State’s Leia Chung by three strokes, finishing with a 207 (-9), a first-place win and her fourth Conference USA title. The three rounds saw her finishing with a 70-66-71. This is Bunch’s fourth time getting a share of the individual title and her 19th consecutive round shooting par or better.
Bunch’s six under par in her second-round finish propelled her to enter the final round tied for the lead while managing to use that momentum to propel the Aggies to victory.
Her efforts did not go unseen, as Bunch was awarded with Conference USA’s golfer of the week for the third week in a row after her third tournament shooting below par in all three rounds.
The Aggies also saw another top 20 finish from second-seed sophomore Isabel Laulhé, who finished with a three-day score of 217 (+1) tying for fourteenth place. The third highest scoring Aggie was senior Alison Gastelum, securing 27th place with a score of 221 (+5).
Rounding out the team’s score was sophomore Kaylee Chen who posted a sixteen over par 232 and tied her for a 77th place finish. Third-seed graduate student Angela Garvin also finished in a tie, shooting with a 234 and landed a seven-way tie for 83rd place.
Sophomore Marley Moncada also played as an individual on behalf of the Aggies, and she clinched another tie for 63rd place after posting a three-day score of 229 (+13).
Overall, the Aggies secured their third-place finish, with all six players posting scores well within the team averages and standout performances from Bunch and Laulhé.
The Aggies will look to ride their momentum into the Conference USA Championship Tournament in Magnolia, Texas. Play will kick off on Monday, April 15 and will continue through Wednesday. Specific times will be announced soon, and all updates will be posted on the official NMSU Athletics website.
