HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's golf team saved its best round for last, shooting 308 in the third and final 18 holes of the Harold Funston Invitational to finish fourth in the event. Sophomore Ana Paredes delivered a three-round 221 (72-75-74) to finish in fifth place individually.
"Today was a good improvement by our team from yesterday's effort," head coach Carol Blackmar said. "We eliminated some mistakes and did a lot of good things. I was really proud of the way Julia [Dereniwsky] bounced back today after a tough day yesterday.
"To see the way that Ana played this week was a huge boost for our team," she added. "If our four freshman from this year improve their game as much as she has, we are going to be a very strong group."
Paredes closed out a second-round 75 and then went on to shoot 74 in the final round of the event to post her best finish as a collegiate golfer. Nagisa Miura (79-77-78) continued her consistent play to post a 234 and finish in 18th. Dereniwsky had a strong bounce back, posting 75 in the final round after carding an 85 in round two, and finished with a 238 overall to sit in a tie for 21st. Anna Millet-Esteve (83-82-81—246) and Olivia Lowe (83-84-85—252) finished 30th and 34th, respectively.
Houston Baptist rallied in the final two rounds to take the team title with a three-round 889 (302-295-292), topping host Sam Houston State by 13 strokes, as the Bearkats finished at 902 (292-310-300). Western Texas Community College followed with a 912 (300-317-295) to finish in third, with the Islanders in fourth at 938 (312-318-308).
Devanshi Naik took home medalist honors with a 217 (71-74-72) for WTCC, edging HBU's Charlotte Hartshorn (73-74-71—218) by a single stroke. The Huskies also saw Rachel Mulkey (76-72-71—219) finish in a tie for third with Iben Hvass (72-74-73) of Western Texas, just in front of Paredes.
The squad will now take a two-week respite before heading to the Blue Raider Invitational in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Oct. 20-21. The 54-hole event will be hosted by Middle Tennessee State.
For all the latest on Islanders Golf, be sure to follow the team on both Twitter and Instagram (@IslandersGolf) and like the official Facebook page (Islanders Golf).
