STANFORD, Calif. – The San Diego State women's golf team finished in eighth place at the Stanford Intercollegiate on Sunday after posting a 2-over-par 286 during the final round at the par-71, 6, 171-yard Stanford Golf Course.
The Aztecs saved their best for last, shaving six strokes off their total from the previous day to climb two positions in the standings and complete the tournament with a 54-hole total of 19-over 871. In addition, the Scarlet and Black bested four schools ranked among the latest Golfstat index, including No. 2 UCLA (T-9th, +22), No. 27 San Jose State (11th, +29), No. 39 Oregon (12th, +33) and No. 46 Iowa State (13th, +34).
Individually, SDSU sported three golfers among the top 25, including Fernanda Escauriza (Asunción, Paraguay), who vaulted 15 places on the leaderboard into a tie for 25th at 3-over 216 after firing a team-best 69 during the final round. The Aztec junior topped the squad with five birdies, including drains at the par-3 17th, as well as her finishing hole at the par-4 10th, which ranked as the third- and fifth-toughest holes for the weekend, respectively.
With her round, Escauriza finished the event one shot behind sophomore teammates Sara Kjellker (Hollviken, Sweden) and Gioia Carpinelli (Boppelsen, Switzerland), who slipped one notch into a tie for 20th at 2-over 215 after each carded a 72.
Starting on the 10th tee, both players offset three bogeys with a pair of birdies, including matching conversions on the par-5, 473-yard No. 12. Carpinelli also found success on the par-4, 347-yard No. 15 to get to 2-under for the round. Despite a strong finish with six closing pars, however, the Swiss native was undone by three bogeys over a four-hole stretch on the No. 18, No. 1 and No. 3 greens.
Kjellker was also unable to gain ground in the standings, thanks in part to a bogey on her back nine at the par-4 No. 5 before reeling off three pars to go with a birdie on the par-3, 150-yard No. 8.
Elsewhere, senior Daniela Anastasi (La Jolla, Calif.) figured in SDSU's team score on Sunday, firing her weekend-low of 73 to climb seven places into a tie for 80th at 23-over 236. Starting on the 12th tee, the La Jolla High alumna sandwiched four pars between birdies on the par-3 No. 14 and the par-4 No. 1, but a double-bogey on her finishing hole at the par-4 11th prevented a steeper ascent.
Rounding out the Aztec delegation was Cameron Lee (Tustin, Calif.), who climbed five places into the 68th position at 14-over 227 despite shooting a final-round 75. Starting on the 11th tee, the SDSU sophomore played spot-free golf on her front nine, highlighted by a birdie on the par-4, 347-yard No. 15.
However, Lee's momentum was short-circuited after the turn, where she logged three bogeys, as well as a double at the par-4 sixth.
USC (-15), which led wire-to-wire, cruised to the team title, easily outdistancing host and runner-up Stanford (E), while Northwestern (+1) took third, followed by fourth-place Washington (+7), Arizona State (+8) and Florida State (+8), which tied for fifth.
Pepperdine's Hira Naveed (-8) and UCLA's Mariel Galdiano (-8) shared medalist honors, while Stanford's Albane Valenzuela (-7) landed one stroke behind in the third spot, followed by USC's Alyaa Abdulghany (-5).
San Diego State wraps up its fall schedule next week when it travels to Orange County for the UC Irvine Invitational, Oct. 29-30, at Santa Ana Country Club in Santa Ana, Calif.
Stanford Intercollegiate
Final Results
Stanford, Calif.
Stanford G.C.
Par 71, 6,171 yards
Team Standings (Top 6 teams of 17 schools + SDSU)
1. USC...272-286-279—837 (-15)
2. Stanford...284-284-284—852 (E)
3. Northwestern...288-279-286—853 (+1)
4. Washington...296-275-288—859 (+7)
T5. Arizona State...290-285-285—860 (+8)
T5. Florida State...290-286-284—860 (+8)
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8. San Diego State...294-291-286—871 (+19)
Individual Leaders (Top 7 of 89 players + SDSU)
T1. Hira Naveed, Pepperdine...67-70-68—205 (-8)
T1. Mariel Galdiano, UCLA...71-62-72—205 (-8)
3. Albane Valenzuela, Stanford...67-69-70—206 (-7)
4. Alyaa Abdulghany, USC...67-71-70—208 (-5)
T5. Frida Kinhult, Florida State...69-73-67—209 (-4)
T5. Jennifer Chang, USC...69-71-69—209 (-4)
T5. Julianne Alvarez, Washington...72-67-70—209 (-4)
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T20. Gioia Carpinelli, SDSU...72-71-72—215 (+2)
T20. Sara Kjellker, SDSU...72-71-72—215 (+2)
T25. Fernanda Escauriza, SDSU...72-75-69—216 (+3)
68. Cameron Lee, SDSU...78-74-75—227 (+14)
T80. Daniela Anastasi, SDSU...80-83-73—236 (+23)
W. Golf Finishes Eighth at Stanford Intercollegiate
