SAN MARCOS, Texas — Daniela Abonce is in 35th place and the UTSA women’s golf team is in 13th after day one of the Jim West Challenge, which teed off Sunday at Kissing Tree Golf Club (par 72/6,236 yards).
Abonce has is part of an 11-way tie for 35th at 5-over-par 149 with 18 holes remaining in the 54-hole event. The senior from Mexico carded a 77 and then posted a 72 in the second round to lead the way for the Roadrunners, who registered a 603 (304-309). UTSA is 10 strokes ahead of Northern Illinois and only one shot behind New Mexico in the team standings.
Abonce bounced back from her 5-over round in the morning with an even-par scorecard in the afternoon that featured five birdies. Beginning on No. 14 in the shotgun start, she wrote down a four on the 536-yard, par-5 and then circled her number on the 321-yard, par-4 16th to get to 2-under for the round. She bounced back from a trio of bogeys on a four-hole stretch with birdies on the fifth and seventh holes before closing the day with a birdie on the 414-yards, par-4 13th that helped negate two more bogeys.
Kayla Black and Lauren Rios are tied for 54th at 8-over 152.
Black opened the week with the Roadrunners’ low round of the day, a 2-under 70 that was highlighted by four birdies, all as part of a 3-under 33 on the front side of the course. The freshman settled for an 82 in round two.
Rios logged three birdies in an opening-round 77, including back-to-back on Nos. 17-18. The senior from Coppell, Texas, added two more birdies en route to a 75 in the afternoon.
Maria Bastarrica and Victoria Schuldt round out the UTSA lineup in 62nd (77-77—154) and 65th (77-78—155), respectively.
No. 33 Florida State leads the team race (567), followed by No. 5 Texas A&M (574) and No. 19 Oklahoma (576) in the top three.
Texas Tech’s Maja Ambroziak has the individual lead at 7-under 137 (70-67).
The final round is slated for Monday and ESPN+ will air live coverage starting at 8 a.m.
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