Riverhawks fail to defend title at Palm Valley Classic, finish ninth
Apr. 3—A repeat was not in the cards for Northeastern State's women's golf team this weekend at the Palm Valley Classic.
After winning the event last season, the Riverhawks did not have the same luck this year in Arizona. After sitting in sixth place going into the last day, the team dropped three spots to ninth place to be dethroned as reigning champions.
NSU found itself in a good position after day one. A 301 was good for sixth out of 23 teams after day one. NSU's No. 1 golfer, junior Yasmin Hang was a force on day one. Posting five birdies, Hang found herself tied for first place after the end of the first day.
Kelly Swanson posted a solid round of 73 for a five-way tie for third place. Sam Maceli was the third and final Riverhawk who shot in the 70s tying for 45th place with a 77.
The Riverhawks saw themselves slip on the final day thanks to their top two players taking a sizeable step back from day one.
Despite being tied for first coming into day two, Hang could not replicate her five birdie day and posted a 78 for a two-day total of 149. This dropped hang from first place to 16th place.
Swanson did not fare much better as her day-one position dropped by 24 spots. Coming in sitting in third, Swanson's 79 pushed her into an eight-way tie for 32nd place.
Maceli stayed consistent following her day one 77 with a day 2 score of 78.
Despite the top two Riverhawks failing to replicate their first day, the bottom section of the team improved.
Nina Lee improved from a day one 80 to a 74 on day two. This improved her position from 71st down to a six-way tie for 48th.
The Riverhawks finished with a two-day total of 610 for a ninth-place finish out of 23 teams.
West Texas A&M ran away with the PVC title with a two-day score of 586 (295-291).
No. 20 Oklahoma Christian's Sofia Benavides won the tournament with a two-day total of 141 (71-69).
The Riverhawks will be back in action on Monday, April 10 for the two-day Virginia Lass Invitational in Joplin, Missouri
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