After narrowly missing victory in their spring opening tournament last week, Coach Cindy Naval's CSUSM women's golf team closed the deal on Tuesday, winning the Lady Cougar Invitational on its home course at Lake San Marcos.
It's the first team win for CSUSM women's golf since 2008. They were led by another winner: Linnel De Villa, who took home the individual championship.
Scores were up across the board on Tuesday, as the 8-team, 40-player field played their final round. The Cougars shot a team round of 335 on the day, which combined with Monday's 321 put them at 656 for the event. They held off Concordia of Oregon, who roared into second place with a 322 on Tuesday, giving them a 664 for the tournament, nine shots behind the Cougars and one shot ahead of CSU East Bay, who took third at 665.
Individually, DeVilla shot at an 84 in round two after a 77 in round one, putting her at 161 for the event. That was one shot better than CSU East Bay's Andrea Castellanos, who took second. Only one golfer in the field broke 80 on Tuesday.
The Cougars were well-represented in the top-10, with Lisa Copeland tying for third at 163 after an 84 on Tuesday. Cora Busby took ninth, carding a team-best round two score of 81 for a total of 167. Meghan Hardin and Felicia Titus tied for 10th, with both shooting 169.
CSUSM's second team also fared well, taking 4th place. Annelise Frederiksen led the way with a 171 for the event, tying her for 12th. Jacqueline Mata placed 17th at 174. Also competing were Megan Pechner (T25th; 180), Stephanie Cole (27th; 181), and Jennifer Conway (31st; 192).
It's a great result for CSUSM, who is off to an excellent start this spring under Coach Naval. The squad will play next at the Cal Baptist Invitational on March 21st.
