Scott Kretxmann
ASC Sports Information Director
SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb.— The Adams State College women’s golf team turned in another solid team effort of 327 and claimed their highest ever finish in an Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference event, finishing second overall at the RMAC #2 competition, which wrapped up Tuesday here at Scotts Bluff Country Club. The Grizzlies also had two top-10 individual finishers as they finished the 2-day, 36-hole affair with a total score of 646, their third best ever in program history. The Tuesday team score is the team’s eighth-best single round score and the fourth best of what is shaping up to be a record-smashing 2011-12 season.
The tournament, hosted by Chadron State at the 6,205-yard, par-72 course, was also the second of four mandatory events that included all eight RMAC squads. South Dakota Mines also competed as an invited guest squad from outside the league and finished ninth.
Western New Mexico was in third place behind the Grizzlies, who had the overnight lead, and Colorado Mesa after Monday, but came from behind to win the team crown by six shots after posting a 316 on Tuesday. The Mustangs, who had a total stroke count of 640, also had both individual co-medalists in Faylyn Beyale and Arrianna Estrada, who both finished with 36-hole totals of 155 (+11). Estrada posted a solid 1-over par 73 on Tuesday after standing in a 11th place tie after an opening round of 82.
The Grizzlies’ top finisher was true freshman Maressa McClintock (Centennial, Colo.), who matched her and teammate Rachel Dyess’ (Richmond, Texas) school-record for the lowest tournament score by a true freshman at 158 (+14). McClintock finished in a tie for fifth overall in an unusually competitive battle that saw 10 different players finish within five strokes of the individual title chase.
Fellow freshman Racel Reilling (Littleton, Colo.) also figured into the mix, tying for eighth at 160 (+16), which is also equal to her season-best. The finishes were the first top-10 tallies of each player’s respective careers although both players have now finished amongst the top 20 at all three of the Grizzlies’ tournaments thus far.
McClintock posted an 81 on Tuesday while Reiling carded an 82 as did Grizzly sophomore Kyra Garrison (Farmington, N.M.) and Dyess. Garrison tied for 11th overall at 163 (+19) while Dyess took 16th at 165 (+21).
Grizzly junior Samantha Hall (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) also finished amongst the top half of the 50-player field, tying for 25th at 174 (+30). She posted an 89 on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Grizzly freshman Taelor Mullins (Monte Vista, Colo.), playing as an individual, posted an 88 on Tuesday finishing in a 20th place tie at 171 (+27).
Finishing behind the Grizzlies in the team standings was Colorado Mesa, third at 651, Regis (653), Colorado State-Pueblo (670), Colorado Christian (688), Nebraska-Kearney (707), the host Eagles (743) and South Dakota Mines (812).
The Grizzlies will now return home for a brief stint before returning to the Cornhusker state to compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/RMAC Crossover, which also doubles as the third mandatory RMAC event of the season and the last tournament on the Grizzlies’ fall schedule. That tournament will be contested in just five days— Sunday and Monday after a Saturday afternoon practice round— at Tiburon Golf Club in Omaha and is one of the few head-to-head match-ups between teams from the two conferences, a major factor in determining the qualifying teams for the NCAA Super Regional in the spring.
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