AVONDALE, Ariz. (April 21, 2015) – Colorado State University-Pueblo women's golfer Leina Kim (Jr., Saipan, CNMI) carded a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship record 9-under 135 to claim the first conference title of her illustrious career. As a team, the ThunderWolves finished in second place with a 36-hole score of 618 at the Coldwater Golf Club.
Kim entered Tuesday's final round tied atop the leaderboard with Mary Driscoll of Western New Mexico University at 3-under par. While Driscoll struggled on day two, Kim saved her best for last. The junior carded birdies on two out of the first three holes and added another on the par-5 sixth hole to finish the front nine at 3-under par. Birdies at 10 and 11 lowered her score to 5-under with seven holes left to play. A bogey at hole 14 was the lone blemish of the day for Kim as she finished with two birdies and two pars to close out her record-setting performance.
Kim's Tuesday round of 6-under 66 sets a new RMAC Championship single-round record and matches her own record for all tournaments, which she set at the same course Sept. 22, 2014. Her total score of 135 sets a new record for a RMAC tournament and is just two strokes behind her own record of 133 for all tournaments.
The victory is the fifth of the season for Kim and is the third tournament in which she has finished under par.
Metro State University of Denver took home the team crown, finishing with a score of 599. The Roadrunners outdistanced second-place CSU-Pueblo (618) by 19 strokes. Western New Mexico (620), Colorado Mesa University (625) and Adams State (626) rounded out the top five.
Not to be overlooked was the performance of defending-tournament champion Julie Sanchez (Sr., Pueblo, Colo.) of the Pack. The senior entered the day in a tie for fifth place, but used a career-low matching round of 71 to vault up the leaderboard to second place at the conclusion of play. Sanchez finished the event with a score of 1-over 145. She tallied six birdies during the tournament, finishing second behind Kim's 12. Sanchez also registered 24 pars which was the second-most amongst the 58-player field.
Natasha Navarro (So., San Antonio, Texas) and Danielle DuPont (Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) rounded out the lineup for the ThunderWolves as Navarro finished in a tie for 32nd and DuPont placed in 42nd. Navarro shot an 85 Tuesday to finish the tournament with a mark of 22-over 166. DuPont carded an 88 on the final 18 holes to conclude the event with a 28-over 172.
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
