AMARILLO, Texas – The Colorado State University Pueblo women's golf team capped off an impressive comeback Tuesday afternoon at the West Texas A&M Invitational, firing a second consecutive round of three-over-par 287 to finish fifth overall at Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas.
After opening the tournament with a difficult 28-over-par 312 on Monday morning, the ThunderWolves responded with back-to-back rounds of 287 to finish the 54-hole tournament at 34-over-par 886. The Pack's final-round performance tied tournament host West Texas A&M for the second-best team score of the day, trailing only tournament champion UT Dallas, which fired a five-under-par 279.
UT Dallas captured the team championship at one-under-par 851, followed by host West Texas A&M in second at 12-over-par 864. CSU Monterey Bay finished third at 15-over-par 867, while CSU Los Angeles placed fourth at 27-over-par 879, seven strokes ahead of the ThunderWolves.
Leading the charge for the Pack was Lisa Ekberg, who put together a remarkable final 36 holes to finish fourth individually at three-under-par 210. After opening the tournament with a six-over-par 77, Ekberg caught fire Monday afternoon, carding a four-under-par 67 before turning in an even better performance Tuesday.
Ekberg fired a five-under-par 66 in the final round, recording a one-under-par 34 on her opening nine before scorching the back nine with a four-under-par 32. Her final two rounds of 67 and 66 saw her play the final 36 holes at nine-under-par, climbing five spots on the individual leaderboard during Tuesday's final round.
Olivia Heard continued her strong play for the ThunderWolves, carding her second consecutive even-par round of 71 on Tuesday. After opening the tournament with a seven-over-par 78, Heard played her final 36 holes at even par to finish tied for 17th overall with a 54-hole total of seven-over-par 220.
Yale Lee also delivered an impressive finish for CSU Pueblo, following her second-round 72 with another one-over-par 72 in Tuesday's final round. Lee recovered from a three-over-par 38 on her opening nine by firing a two-under-par 34 on the back nine. After opening the tournament with a 78, Lee closed with consecutive rounds of 72 to finish tied for 20th at nine-over-par 222.
Aoife Browne rounded out the Pack's four counting scores in the final round, recording a seven-over-par 78 on Tuesday. Browne finished the tournament tied for 38th at 21-over-par 234, posting rounds of 79, 77 and 78.
Sinead Ni Cheilleachair completed the ThunderWolves' five-player lineup, finishing tied for 45th at 26-over-par 239. After opening with an 80 and improving to a 78 in the second round, Ni Cheilleachair closed the tournament with a 10-over-par 81.
Competing as an individual, Sofia Contreras saved her best round of the tournament for Tuesday. After opening with rounds of 85 and 89, Contreras bounced back with a 12-over-par 83 in the final round to finish 57th at 44-over-par 257.
The story of the tournament for CSU Pueblo was its remarkable response following a difficult opening round. The ThunderWolves shaved 25 strokes off their first-round score and maintained that pace throughout their final 36 holes, playing the final two rounds at a combined six-over-par. Highlighted by Ekberg's nine-under-par performance over the final two rounds, the Pack closed out the tournament with a fifth-place finish.
The ThunderWolves will conclude their fall season next month at the Cal State East Bay Fall Invite in Hayward, California, on Oct. 26–27.
