Parkville, MO – The Indian Hills Women's Golf squad, ranked No. 13 in the latest national rankings, surged past the field on the final day of the Park University Spring Classic to take the team's third title of the year. The Warriors won the event by seven strokes after an impressive third round showing.
Trailing by seven strokes entering the final round of play, the Warriors produced the lowest team score of the third round on Tuesday to storm past tournament host and runner-up Park University. Competing as the lone junior college program in the five-team field, Indian Hills fired round scores of 323-322-324-969 to outlast the five-team field. The Warriors were the lone program to shoot below 325 in each of the three rounds of the 54-hole event.
Indian Hills was led by freshman standout Joska Nelis (Haarlem, Netherlands/Lyceum Sancta Maria) who finished atop the leaderboard for the third time this season. Nelis tied for the individual title after posting the lowest third round score of the day to erase a six-stroke deficit with Park's Anna Korsen. The freshman tallied round scores of 77-79-77-233 to finish 23-over par, the lone individual of the event to produce all three rounds below 80.
Nelis, ranked No. 33 in the latest national rankings, led all players in the 34-player field with 32 total pars in the event as the freshman's consistent approach paid off on the final day of competition. Nelis' 7-over on the final 18 holes proved to be the lowest total of the final round.
Nelis was joined by fellow freshman Veronica Rodriguez (Santiago, Chile/Liceo A-1310 Buin) who placed fourth overall with a 32-over 242. Rodriguez saved her best performance of the tournament for the final round to aid in the Warriors' charge down the stretch. Rodriguez, ranked No. 55 in the national rankings, fired round scores of 83-80-79. Rodriguez and Nelis were two of just three individuals that fired a score below 80 on the final day of action.
Freshman Poppy Norcott (Wiltshire, United Kingdom/Hartpury College) got off to a strong start with an opening round 79 that led to a sixth-place finish overall in the event. Teammate Sofia Saavedra (Barquisimeto, Venezuela/Dawere International) earned a top-10 finish, placing ninth overall for the Warriors.
Freshman Taylor Pacheco (Chula Vista, CA/Olympian) led all Warriors with four birdies over the course of the two-day event to place 15th overall.
The team title was the first of the spring season for the Warriors and third overall on the year. The 969 total strokes are the lowest for the program in a three-round tournament this year.
Indian Hills is set to close out its regular season at the Bent Tree Intercollegiate April 21-22 in Council Bluffs, IA.
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