The Iowa women’s golf team closed out its fall schedule this week at the annual Rainbow Wahine Invitational at Kapolei Golf Course in Kapolei, Hawaii.
The University of Hawaii hosted the event featuring 16 teams vying for the title.
But the Hawkeyes finished the event in seventh place with a total team score of 883, leaving them at 19 strokes over par.
Baylor won the tournament with a total team score of 845 — powering them to a whopping 19 strokes under par. The Bears have struggled in most of their tournaments this season but finished their fall schedule on a very strong note.
On the individual scale, Baylor’s Rosie Belsham and CSU Fullerton’s Davina Xanh shared the title with overall scores of 209 — seven strokes under par on the event.
Belsham, a fourth year, earned second-team All-American honors following her junior season. Xanh, a second year, earned first-team All-Big West honors in her freshman season.
Right from the start, Iowa dug itself into a deep hole with inconsistent performances, finishing day one with a total team score of 307, putting them in a measly 12th place.
Despite their rough performance as a team, though, the Hawkeyes found success on the individual scale on the day.
Iowa second-year Madison Dabagia turned in a respectable score of 75 — leaving her at three over par and earning a tie for 17th place for the round.
Hailing from Fort Wayne, Indiana, she continued to build off her solid performance from the Red Raider Invitational from Sept. 25-26 in which she tied for 21st place after climbing four spots in the final round.
The Hawkeyes rebounded on day two, racking up a total score of 291 — a 16-stroke improvement from day one, vaulting them to a 10th-place tie with CSU-Northridge.
Once again, Dabagia stole the show with a score of 70 — putting her at two under par for the round and tying her with teammate Riley Lewis for the team high.
Lewis, a second year, had her breakout performance as a Hawkeye, finishing at even par through the first nine holes before finishing strong on the back nine to finish at two under par for the round. Her strong performance saw her leap a whopping 27 spots to claim 23rd place entering the final round.
On day three, Iowa’s performance improved drastically, jumping up from 10th place on day two and ending the tournament in seventh.
Dabagia steamrolled through the third round with another strong finish, earning her a tie for 16th place in the event.
Dabagia, third-year Paula Miranda, second-year Kaitlyn Hanna, and second-year Shannyn Vogler finished at or below par in the final round — a strong finish to the fall campaign that will serve as momentum for the team heading into the winter break.
The Hawkeyes conclude the fall season with two top-ten tournament finishes, representing the program’s highest finish in three years.
Spring slates
Following an up-and-down fall season, the Iowa men’s golf team hopes to rebound when the season resumes in February.
Iowa begins its spring season in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the Puerto Rico Classic from Feb. 11-13. The event will be hosted by conference rival Purdue.
The Hawkeyes will host two tournaments in the spring: the Calusa Cup in Naples, Florida, from April 7-9 and the annual Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City from April 13-14.
Iowa will travel to the world-famous Pinehurst Golf Club in North Carolina for the Wake Forest Invitational from March 4-5.
This will be the second time this season the Hawkeyes will compete in a tournament hosted by the Demon Deacons as both teams faced off in Wake Forest’s Highlands Invitational from Sept. 18-19.
The rest of the spring schedule includes trips to Houston for the University of Houston’s All-American Intercollegiate from March 18-19 and a trip to Columbus for Ohio State’s Robert Kepler Intercollegiate from April 19-21.
Ohio State will also host the Big Ten Championships from April 26-28.
On the flip side, the women’s team has a busy schedule ahead, competing in tournaments across the country come the spring.
The season resumes in Boca Raton, Florida, for Florida Atlantic University’s FAU Paradise tournament from Feb. 5-6. The event is one of two tournaments in the Sunshine State for the Hawkeyes with a trip to North Florida’s UNF Collegiate from March 4-5 being the other.
After an eighth-place finish at the Badger Invitational from Sept. 17-19, Iowa will compete in yet another Wisconsin-hosted event when the Hawkeyes travel to Peoria, Arizona, from Feb. 25-26 for the Westbrook Spring Invitational.
It will be one of two events Iowa will compete in against a conference foe with a trip to Ohio State’s Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational from April 13-14.
The rest of the schedule includes trips to the Chattanooga Classic from April 7-9, and the Tulane Classic from March 10-12. The Big Ten Championships will take place in Havre de Grace, Maryland, on April 19-21.
