WAHIAWA, Hawai'i — Junior Lynn-Marié Nagel finished her tournament run in 17th place after she carded a 5-over 77 during Thursday's final round at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational in Wahiawa, Hawai'i. The three-day tournament marked Utah Valley's final invitational of the fall season.
Nagel, who entered Thursday's final round in a tie for seventh place with a two-day total of 6-over-par, finished the tournament in a tie for 17th with an 11-over 227.
Fellow junior Brooke Whittaker led Utah Valley on Thursday as she posted the Wolverines' best score of the tournament with a 1-over 73. Whittaker's final day 73 moved her up seven spots to finish in a tie for 27th place with 15-over-par (231). Whittaker picked up three birdies en route to her 73 on Thursday, which included a birdie on her final hole of the tournament and two in her final three holes.
As a team, the Wolverines took eighth place with a three-round total of 931 (+67). UVU fired 20-over-par (308) during Thursday's final 18 holes to finish just two strokes behind in-state rival BYU (929) and three back of fellow WAC member Grand Canyon (928). Sacramento State won the tournament at +38 (902), while host Hawai'i and WAC foe New Mexico State tied for second at +39 (903).
Utah Valley's Hawaiian duo of Cassandra Lesa and Kalea Heu were the Wolverines' second and third best finishers as they placed in ties for 22nd and 25th, respectively. Lesa, whose home town of Kaneohe, Hawai'i, is just 22 miles from the Leilehua Golf Course, had a solid final round Thursday as she turned in her second straight 3-over 75. Lesa finished the tournament at 13-over (229), while Heu (Wailuku, Hawai'i), who was playing the tournament as an individual and carded a final round 76 (+4), finished just behind her at 14-over (230).
Four other golfers were in action for UVU in Hawai'i, and three of them ended their tournament runs in spots 46-48. Kimberly Nyhus finished in 46th place with a total of 248 (+32), while Hannah Herman took 47th at 33-over-par (249) and Heather Mathison, who was playing the tournament as an individual, finished in 48th with 250 (+34). Fellow individual Monica Yeates was also in action for the Wolverines at the tournament but was disqualified during Thursday's final round after it was deemed that an incorrect score got turned in for her on hole number nine. Yeates would have finished her final round with a 9-over 81 and also would've tied Nyhus for 46th place with a total of 248.
With the tournament marking a conclusion to UVU's fall portion of its schedule, it will be off until late February when it will head to Litchfield Park, Ariz., to take part in the Grand Canyon Invitational.
James Warnick is an assistant sports information director at Utah Valley University. For more information about Wolverine athletics, visit www.WolverineGreen.com.