SADDLEBROOKE, Ariz. — Daniela Abonce’s second straight 1-under-par scorecard led UTSA on Saturday in the second round of the MountainView Collegiate at The Preserve Golf Club (par 72/6,405 yards).
Abonce fired a 71 for the second day in a row to remain in the top 10, as the senior has a share of ninth place at 2-under 142 with 18 holes left to play on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Victoria Schuldt leads all Roadrunners as the freshman is in a tie for seventh at 4-under 140. After matching the UTSA freshman record with a 5-under 67 on Friday, she posted a 73 on Saturday.
Behind that duo, UTSA has sole possession of fifth place at 1-under 575 (283-292), four shots ahead of No. 34 Missouri and No. 33 Kansas State, who are tied for sixth place (579). The Roadrunners also have a seven-shot lead on 32nd-ranked Houston and Wisconsin, who share eighth place (582) in the 16-team field. UTSA trails Iowa and North Texas by only four strokes and is five behind Texas Tech and 14 back of No. 25 Iowa State.
Abonce’s 71 featured three birdies. Starting on No. 1, she bounced back from bogeys on Nos. 3-4 with a birdie on the 147-yard, par-3 sixth to help her go out with a 1-over 37. The Veracruz, Mexico, native got back to even with a three on the 358-yard 15th and then moved to 1-under after circling her number on the 355-yard, par-4 17th.
Lauren Rios turned in UTSA’s second-best score on Saturday with an even-par 72. The Coppell, Texas, native logged a pair of birdies en route to a 35 on the front nine before adding a third on the 10th en route to her ninth par-or-better scorecard of the season. She is tied for 29th at 2-over 146.
Schuldt’s 73 was highlighted by birdies on the 496-yard, par-5 third and the 355-yard, par-4 17th holes. The Germany native sits just three shots off the lead held by North Texas’ Malisone Chanthapanya (67-70—137).
Maria Bastarrica and Kayla Black round out the UTSA lineup in 43rd (72-76—148) and 52nd (73-76—149), respectively.
The second round is slated for Saturday, and the Roadrunners will tee off from No. 1 beginning at 11:10 a.m. CT.
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