HOCKLEY, TX (K-State) – The Kansas State women’s golf team produced a final-round score of 1-over par 285 on Saturday to improve one spot to third place — its best placing ever in a conference tournament — at the 2024 Big 12 Championship held at the par-71, 6,249-yard Houston Oaks Golf Club.
The Wildcats, who finished with a 54-hole score of 14-over par 866, bettered a fourth-place showing in 2009. Their three-round total was also a school record, as was their final-round score.
“I am unbelievably proud of how the ladies played this week,” first-year head coach Stew Burke said. “It was a total team effort, and we could not have done it without Coach Rinko’s (Mitsunaga) help in putting the plan together. This week was an accumulation of all the hard work that has been put in throughout the season and offseason by the ladies both here and at home.”
Kansas State, which entered the tournament ranked 55th in the country, earned wins over eight teams ranked in the top 60 in No. 40 Baylor (fourth place), No. 56 Texas Tech (fifth place), No. 38 Houston (sixth place), No. 48 Kansas (seventh place), No. 23 UCF (eighth place), No. 42 Oklahoma State (ninth place), No. 58 TCU (10th place) and No. 43 Oklahoma (11th place).
The Wildcats were led on Saturday by senior Napua Glossner, who was substituted into the lineup prior to the final round and posted a 1-under par 70. She began her day with an eagle on the par-5 eighth hole, while she also birdied Nos. 11 and 12.
Junior Carla Bernat recorded her best round of the championship on Saturday at even-par 71, which included a birdie on her final hole – the par-3 fifth hole – to help push the Wildcats out of a tie for third place and into a solo finish. She concluded the event in a tie for 17th place at 4-over par 217.
“I am really proud of Napua being able to step in and give us a huge round today, and also Carla for her even-par round,” Burke said. “They’ve put themselves in position time and time again and showed that we can handle the pressure at this level.”
K-State was led throughout the championship by senior Haley Vargas, who tied for 12th place at 3-over par 216. The Lubbock, Texas native, who posted a 1-over par 72 during the final round, saw a 14-spot improvement from her last Big 12 Championship at Houston Oaks in 2022 when she finished in 26th place.
Freshman Julia Ballester Barrio put together another solid outing on Saturday at 1-over par 72. She recorded a 54-hole score of 6-over par 219 to tie for 21st place, which was a 24-spot improvement from her position after the first round.
Sophomore Noa Van Beek also tied for 21st place after a 3-over par 74 round on Saturday.
No. 11 Texas earned a 12-shot victory with a three-round total of 1-under par 851. Iowa State, which finished in second place, had the top two players on the individual leaderboard in Liyana Durisic and Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn at 6-under par 207.
“We’ll find out in the coming days if our efforts were enough to make the postseason, which we are certainly deserving of,” said Burke.
The Wildcats will learn of their postseason fate at 1 p.m., on Wednesday during Golf Central Special: NCAA Women’s Selection Show on the Golf Channel.
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