BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — UTSA placed third behind a trio of top-10 individual finishes at the American Conference Championship, which wrapped up Wednesday at Southern Hills Plantation Club (par 72/6,289 yards).
Victoria Schuldt tied for fifth, while Daniela Abonce and Lauren Rios each earned a share of seventh to help guide the Roadrunners to their best team finish at the American Conference Championship since joining the league three years ago. It also marked UTSA’s 17th top-five conference finish dating back to 2008, a span of 18 conference tournaments.
The Roadrunners registered an 881 (288-301-292) to claim sole possession of third, 11 shots ahead of a tie for fourth between East Carolina and Florida Atlantic and a dozen strokes better than North Texas. UTSA ended up 11 shots behind runner-up Charlotte in the 11-team field won by No. 50 Tulsa.
Schuldt logged her best finish as a Roadrunner by firing a 3-over-par 219 to settle into a two-way tie for fifth. It also marked the best league finish by a UTSA player since Abonce’s win two years ago on this same course.
After opening the week with rounds of 72 and 73, Schuldt closed out the event with a 74 that featured four birdies. The freshman from Hamburg, Germany, circled her number on the 372-yard, par-4 fourth and on the 492-yard, par-5 fifth holes to get to 2-under for the day. She then bounced back from a pair of double bogeys with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11-12 before finishing off the final round with five pars and a bogey.
Schuldt played the par fives at 7-under par for the week — tied with two others for the best number in the field — and she was the only golfer to register two eagles, both of which came on the 490-yard, par-5 12th. She also posted eight birdies during the tournament, the second-best total on the team.
Abonce and Rios were part of a five-way tie for seventh place at 4-over 220 in their final tournament as Roadrunners.
Abonce closed with her best round of the week, a 1-under 71 that was highlighted by three birdies en route to her sixth career top 10. The Veracruz, Mexico, native circled her number on the 300-yard, par-4 ninth, the 490-yard, par-5 12th and the 498-yard, par-5 16th holes to push her team-high tally to 11. After opening with an even-par scorecard on Monday, she turned in a 77 on Tuesday before logging her 43rd par-or-better round as a Roadrunner on Wednesday, which places her third on the program’s all-time list. Additionally, she finished her collegiate career with a 74.03 stroke average, good for fourth on UTSA’s career chart.
Meanwhile, Rios registered UTSA’s best scorecard of the event with a 2-under 70 in the opening round before bouncing back from a 77 with a 73 on Wednesday. The Coppell High School product had birdies on the 492-yard, par-5 fifth and on the 358-yard, par-4 15th holes, while she had 13 pars to give her 41 for the week, the second-best total in the field. Her 70 on Monday marked her 10th par-or-better round of the season and her finish was the second top 10 of the campaign. She also capped her collegiate career with a 75.59 stroke average, which places her 10th in program history.
Maria Bastarrica posted her top finish of her junior season by tying for 28th with a 226 (74-75-77), while Kayla Black was 35th with a 228 (78-76-74) to round out the UTSA lineup.
-UTSA-