The Portland State women’s golf team finished 13th out of a field of 18 teams at the UNLV Spring Invitational on Wednesday.
Due to injuries and other issues, the Vikings traveled with only four players instead of the typical five, but still saw impressive results from the players that did compete. Freshman Britney Yada shot a 69 on the first day to chalk the best score for a Viking since 2007, when then-junior Kayla Morinaga shot a 69 in the Heather Farr/Colorado Memorial.
Yada finished with a 226 (69–75–82) to tie for 30th place, just 16 strokes above winner Therese Koelbaek of UNLV (68–71–71=210), who finished six under par. Yada was Portland State’s scoring leader for the fourth time in six events this season, giving her a team-best scoring average of 77.72.
The Vikings finished the tournament with a 917 (294–310–313) to match the team’s best score out of six events this season. 40th-ranked UNLV won the event with an 866 (281–286–299), only two strokes over par for the course.
The Vikings did not compete against any other Big Sky Conference schools but finished higher than another Oregon school. Oregon State finished the tournament tied in 16th place with 304–310–321=935.
Contributing to the Vikings team score was junior Kalyn Dodge who tied for 46th place out of 95 golfers and finished with a 229 (75–78–76), her best score as a Viking. Sophomore Tiffany Schoning also had her best score as a Viking, tying for 53rd with a 230 (74–75–81). Junior Alexia Brown tied for 61st with a 232 (76–82–74) and had the best final round score, shooting just two over par.
The tournament was played at Boulder Creek Golf Club, a 6,246-yard, par 72 golf course set in Boulder City, Nev.
The Vikings are scheduled in three more spring tournaments including the Big Sky Championship in Chandler, Ariz., on April 19–21. Their next scheduled tournament is the UC Irvine Anteater Invitational at Dove Canyon Country Club in Dove Canyon, Calif., on March 29–31.