TACOMA - In only her second collegiate competition, Seattle University women's golf freshman Alayna Rafique has made a statement performance, finishing tied for fifth overall in a field of 99 golfers at the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational, held at Tacoma Country and Golf Club.
The freshman had a consistent tournament, finishing the first round at +1 over, 73, setting a career-best round of -2 under, 70 in the second round, and following up with a round of even par, 72 on day two. Her final score of -1 under, 215 was only five strokes out of first place.
Thanks in large part to Rafique's efforts, Seattle U finished sixth of 16 schools with a team score of +16 over.
"A special shoutout to Alayna for an impressive week," commented head coach Marc Chandonnet, "finishing under par and earning her first top-five finish is such a great accomplishment."
Sophomore Blayne Brown remained consistent this season, following up her top-10 finish at the Red Bandanna Invitational with a top-15 finish Tuesday. Brown shot +2 over, 218 with a season-best round of -1 under, 71 with five birdies in the third round, propelling her up nine spots in the standings on the final day of competition.
Zoe Rubichon also had an impressive final round. After finishing day one at +8 over, 152 and in 56th place, she bounced back in round three, setting a season-best round of -2 under, 70 with five birdies to rocket up 29 places in the standings. Rubichon secured her 29th place finish with a final score of +6 over, 222.
Melissa Gilloz also had a top-50 finish, placing 47th with +9 over, 225 and carded a season-best round of +1 over, 73 in the first round.
Rounding out the scoring players, Carly Ikei had a season-best finish of +15 over, 231 for 70th place, tying her season-best round of +4 over, 76 in the second.
Competing as individuals, Jeanne Padillo shot +16 over, 232 for 71st place, Ayesha Baron carded +22 over, 238 to finish 92nd, and Niya Friesen has a season-best second round of +5 over, 77 as she finished in 98th place.
“We are really proud of the way our team continued to battle and compete all the way to the finish," said Marc Chandonnet, "We didn’t have our best stuff at times, but nobody quit, and we fought our way to a respectable finish.
"A huge thank you to the course, staff, and members for welcoming us and providing such a great experience. We truly appreciate everyone who helped make the event possible.”
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