KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Ana Gonzalez finished second with the lowest 54-hole scorecard in school history to lead the UTSA women's golf team to a fourth-place tie at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship, which concluded on Tuesday at Cherokee Country Club (par 71/5,897 yards).
Gonzalez carded an 8-under-par 205, which is the best three-round total in program history and the second-best 54-hole score versus par behind Fabiola Arriaga's 9-under 207 at the 2014 Conference USA Championship.
The freshman fired a 3-under 68 in her final round on Tuesday to close out the record scorecard that included a 70 in the opening round and a season-low 67 on Monday afternoon. Gonzalez recorded four of her 15 birdies — the second-highest tally in the 86-player field — during Tuesday's round and the Monterrey, Mexico, native finished just one shot behind individual medalist Emilia Migliaccio of Wake Forest.
Behind Gonzalez, the Roadrunners finished in a tie for fourth with BYU and Maryland at 10-over 862, two shots behind host Tennessee and three ahead of Kentucky and Wake Forest. UTSA posted a 1-over 285 in the final round a day after registering the lowest 18-hole score in school annals, a 282 in round two.
Nikki Long fired a final-round 1-under 70 and finished in a tie for 29th with a 218 (76-72-70). The San Antonio native birdied back-to-back holes on the front and back en route to her best round of her senior season.
Becky McGeehan tied for 34th with a 74-72-74—220, while Julie Houston and Madison Kidd rounded out the UTSA lineup in 43rd (78-71-73—222) and 66th (75-74-78—227), respectively.
Illinois captured the team crown with a 12-under 840, one stroke ahead of Kent State (841).
The Roadrunners will return to the course on Oct. 6-8 when they travel to Littleton, Colo., for the Ron Moore Intercollegiate.