The Iowa women’s golf team placed seventh out of 14 in their season opening tournament at the Boilermaker Classic in West Lafayette, Indiana, over Labor Day weekend.
Third-year Ximena Benites led the Hawkeye effort, scoring six birdies and tying her career-best round with a 69. Benites finished as Iowa’s highest-placed player by finishing in a three-way tie at 18th on the leaderboard. After a frustrating 78 on the second round, Benites bounced back with a 74 on the final day to close out the tournament. Her performance was a one-shot improvement from her average last season.
Fourth-year player Shannyn Vogler placed close behind, slotting in at 22nd. After not playing last spring, Vogler started off her senior season strong by shooting five-over-par for the tournament with an impressive one-under-par 71 on the final day.
First-year Sunny Wang made her Hawkeye debut with a 25th-place finish. After a shooting a 78 on the first round, Wang eventually found her footing by leading the Hawkeyes with a 75 in the second round. The highlight of her tournament came in round three, where Wang posted a stellar 71.
Third-year Maura Peters also played a solid tournament this weekend with a team-best 75 during round two. Peters, who hails from Pleasant Valley, Iowa, finished 42nd.
Riley Lewis showed consistency this weekend by posting two consecutive 77’s and finishing the weekend with a 78, matching her performance in the Big Ten Championships last spring. The fourth-year player from Edwardsville, Ill. finished 54th and looks to improve on a spring campaign where she finished in the top-40 in four of seven tournaments.
Kaitlyn Hanna, a fourth-year player, competed this weekend as an individual and finished with a 13-over-par performance. Hanna’s best rounds came on the first and last days where she shot a 76, a two-stroke improvement from last season.
The Hawkeyes tallied a final score of 893 with a team best 292 on the final day. Ole Miss placed first , who with a 862, just one stroke ahead of runner-ups Indiana University.
The Iowa women’s golf team’s next matchup will be at the Badger Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin. from Sep. 14-16. Following that, the Hawkeyes will host the Diane Thomason Invitational, which they came out victorious in last season, at Finkbine Golf Course from Sept. 29-30.