K-State men's golf wins 3rd straight tournament; women finish 9th

Oct. 12—The 18th-ranked Kansas State men's golf team continues to thrive after picking up their third-consecutive tournament win at the Oregon State Invitational in Corvallis Tuesday at Trysting Tree Golf Club.

The Wildcats finished with a 3-under 849 (285-278-286) as a team, topping second place Washington State by 14 strokes.

The win marks the first time in school history that K-State has won three-consecutive tournament titles. The three wins are also the most by a Wildcat team during the fall slate.

K-State's three wins already ranks third-most in school history for wins in a single season.

The Wildcats ended the first round a stroke out of second place. but quickly jumped ahead of the pack in round two, shooting a 6-under 278.

K-State shot a 2-over 286 in the third and final round, stretching its lead to double-digits and clinching the win.

Four Wildcat golfers finished in the top-10 and all five finished in the top-20 for a third-straight time.

Sophomore Nicklaus Mason, a Shawnee native, led the way, finishing with a 2-under 211 (70-68-73).

Mason carded three birdies in his last six holes in the second round to finish with a 3-under 68. That pushed him into the top five where he stayed through the remainder of the tournament.

The top-five finish was Mason's third of his career and the second this season.

Senior Will Hopkins finished tied for sixth place with an even-par 213 (72-70-71) and the German duo of Tim Tillmanns (73-70-71) and Laurenz Schiergen (70-70-74) finished tied for ninth with a 1-over 214, rounding out K-State's top 10 finishers.

Sophomore Cooper Schultz wrapped things up, finishing tied for 17th with a 4-over 217 (75-71-71).

Junior Luke O'Neill competed as an individual, finishing tied for 23rd with a 5-over 218 (71-74-73).

The Wildcats will wrap up the fall portion of their season on Monday when they travel to the Houston Oaks Golf Club in Hockley, Texas for the Big 12 Match Play Championship.

K-State women place 9th in Oklahoma

Led by a standout performance from senior Haley Vargas, the Kansas State women's golf team finished 9th overall at the Dale McNamara Invite hosted by Tulsa at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

The Wildcats shot a 33-over 897 (306-294-297), finishing just three strokes behind both Brigham Young and James Madison.

Vargas finished tied for third, shooting a 1-under 215 (74-69-72), a career-low 54-hole score and her highest-ever collegiate finish.

She entered Tuesday's final round in fifth place, but closed things out strong, parring 10 holes and birdying four on her way to the top-five finish.

"I'm happy for Haley, she played very well," head coach Kristi Knight said in a written statement. "I know she is disappointed she came up a couple of shots short, but she can be proud as she competes hard every round and invests in improving her game."

Finishing behind Vargas was freshman Noa van Beek, who finished tied for 32nd with an 11-over 227 (78-77-72). The even-par 72 in the final round shot the freshman up 21 spots in the standings.

Senior Manon Donche-Gay finished with a 13-over 229 (75-76-78), junior Gabriela McNelly finished with a 15-over 231 (82-73-76) and junior Napua Glossner finished tied for 56th with a 16-over 232 (79-76-77).

Freshman Kate Tilma, who competed as an individual, finished tied for 65th with a 20-over 236 (80-78-78).

K-State wraps up its fall-slate at the end of the month when the Wildcats travel to Cabo, Mexico for the Battle at the Beach.