Of the eight tournaments in which the women’s golf team has participated, they have nabbed the first place spot six times. These rankings are impressive and are even improvements upon last year’s rankings, where the team rarely fell below 3rd place. This is a prime example of a team that has nowhere to go but up, and they proved this yet again at the Augustana Spring Fling Invitational in Palm Desert, Calif.

The two-day Invitational took place on March 14 and 15. The Hilltoppers came out in first place overall, with Wallis Spears, Ryanne Haddow and Taylor Moreno nabbing the top three spots of the tournament and all five players finishing in the top 10. The lady Hilltoppers pulled away after the second day, dropping 13 strokes collectively from their previous round. The combined team score of 292 on the second day ties the school record for lowest team score, set last year during the NCAA West Regional tournament. Second place Tarleton State, another Texas school and Heartland Conference competitor, fell to the Hilltoppers by an 18-stroke margin of victory, which is the second highest margin this season.

Senior Wallis Spears ended the Augustana Spring Fling in first place, as she shot a two-under par round, ending the second day with a 70 and finishing the tournament one-under with a total 143, topping the leaderboard both days.

“I came off the course the first day a little disappointed that I left a few putts out there, but I was striking the ball great so I just had to keep reminding myself to stay patient, keep hitting greens and the putts would start dropping. I had a lot of great looks on Friday and made a few good ones on the back 9.”

Junior Ryanne Haddow finished with a total of 150. Haddow entered the second day of tournament play tied for eighth, and her strong play helped her wrap up strong and land the second place spot.

“My score changed from round one to round two just by my attitude on the course,” Haddow said. “I did not hit the ball as well the second day, but I was more focused and determined and it lead to a much better score in the end.”

Haddow has played consistently well over the past three tournaments, finishing first, fourth and second. Her first place finish came after beating out teammate Haley Haught in a two hole playoff at the Grey Rock Golf Club in Austin. This play by the junior combined with other players stepping up at the right moment has allowed the women to consistently stay ranked in the top three. With only two tournaments left until the Heartland Conference tournament, the lady Hilltoppers are poised to continue their winning ways and head to Grand Junction for the NCAA Super Regional.

Women’s golf travels next to Goodyear, Arizona for the Grand Canyon Women’s Invitational on April 1st.