RENO, Nev. - The Nevada Women's Golf team recorded the program's best 54-hole score (874) at the Mountain West Championships since joining the conference in 2012, as they secured a fifth-place finish in the loaded nine-team field to close out the 2023-24 season.
The Pack carded a score of 288 (E) on Thursday to conclude play at the Mountain West Championships. Nevada completed the event with a combined score of 874 (+10), surpassing the previous program record for the best team score at the Mountain West Championships by two strokes. The Pack secured the fifth position on the final team leaderboard, finishing 15 strokes ahead of San Diego State who took sixth place.
Leah John led the way for Nevada throughout the event, and she recorded a score of 76 (+4) on Thursday, bringing her 54-hole score to 217 (+1). John finished tied for 13th overall, marking her best finish at the conference championships throughout her career. John started off strong in the final round, parring the first hole before earning a birdie on the par-5 second hole. She picked up a double bogey on the third hole; and, after two consecutive pars, had a bogey on the sixth hole. John responded in strong fashion, tallying one par and two birdies on the final three holes of the front nine. She went on to record three pars, one birdie, and five bogeys on the back nine. John has had a fabulous career for Nevada, and she will wait to see if she qualifies for the NCAA Regionals as an individual participant.
Anna Shultse closed out the Mountain West Championships with her best round of the event, carding a 71 (-1) for the final round to complete the tournament tied with John for 13th overall at +1. Shultse started off the round with a double bogey on the first hole; however, she put together an exceptional stretch of nine holes following the difficult start. Over the next nine holes, Shultse tallied five pars, and four bogeys, entering the final stretch at -3. The sophomore had six pars and two bogeys over the final eight holes, bringing her score to 71 for the day. Shultse finished the event with a 54-hole score of 217.
Fellow sophomore Gabby Kano also closed out the Mountain West Championships with her best performance of the three-day event. Kano recorded an immaculate score of 70 (-2) on Thursday, propelling her to a T20 finish at +5. Kano tallied 12 pars, four birdies, and two bogeys throughout the final round.
Payton Lovisa completed what was the best tournament of her young career by carding a 73 (+1) for the final round, placing her in a tie with Kano in the 20th position on the leaderboard for the event with a 54-hole score of 221 (+5). Lovisa was incredibly consistent throughout the event for the Pack, and she had 13 pars, three bogeys and two birdies during the final set of 18 holes.
Freshman Nikki Chindavong rounded out the Wolf Pack lineup, recording a score of 74 (+2) for the third round. The 74 marked Chindavong's best round of the event, and she finished tied for 39th at +16. Chindavong posted 12 pars, four bogeys, and two birdies throughout the final round.
The completion of the Mountain West Championships marks the end of a highly successful season for the Pack. In addition to setting a new program record for the best 54-hole score at the Mountain West Championships, Nevada earned five top-five finishes throughout the season, and John secured three individual titles.
As previously stated, John will wait to see if she qualifies for the NCAA Regionals in her final collegiate season.
Team Leaderboard
1. San Jose State - 280-288-279=847 (-17)
2. UNLV - 289-288-288=865 (+1)
3. Colorado State - 286-296-285=867 (+3)
4. New Mexico - 297-281-290=868 (+4)
5. Nevada - 300-286-288=874 (+10)
Nevada Results
T13. Leah John - 71-70-76=217 (+1)
T13. Anna Shultse - 74-72-71=217 (+1)
T20. Gabby Kano - 79-72-70=221 (+5)
T20. Payton Lovisa - 76-72-73=221 (+5)
T39. Nikki Chindavong - 81-77-74=232 (+16)
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