In an extremely competitive field that included 13 teams ranked among the top 25, the University of Redlands women's golf team finished fifth at the Division III National Preview Invite on Monday and Tuesday in Houston, TX. As a team, the Bulldogs combined for a total score of 635 with a 315 mark on day one before notching a 320 to finish up the event. Redlands also finished ahead of the only other Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) team, top-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, which took seventh.
While playing the Bay Oaks Country Club course that will be used for the spring's NCAA Championships, the Bulldogs turned in several impressive marks, including a third-place finish by senior Keilee Bessho (La Cañada, CA). After sitting in a seventh-place-tie through day one, Bessho upped her game with a 74 in the second round for a total of 150, which lifted her past several competitors to carve out a third-place finish. Overall, she tallied 23 pars and four birdies for a solid outing.
Sophomore Annie Hay (University Place, WA) also enjoyed an excellent tournament by signing her scorecard with a 155. Hay managed the course in spectacular fashion with the tournament's best round-one score of 74. She shot even on the par fives en route to sinking 22 total pars in 36 holes.
Through two days of competition, first-year Dana Condon (Palm Desert, CA) scored consistent tallies of 81 on each day for a total of 162 to land in a four-way tie for 33rd. Rounding out the Bulldogs, first-year Kendall Nicholson (Bellevue, WA) and sophomore Mariah Moon (La Quinta, CA) fired off scores of 168 and 170, respectively. Nicholson shot an 84 on each day, while Moon shot an 86 on day one and improved to 84 on day two.
The team fared well when it came to par-five scoring, as Bessho and Hay each cracked the top 10 in the field of more than 100 players.
Redlands prepares for a trip to Chino Hills for the CMS Invite on Saturday, September 29, and Sunday, September, 30.