
Pack Women’s Golf Finishes as Runner Up at Briar’s Creek Invitational
3/12/2024 3:16:00 PM | Women's Golf
Lauren Olivares Leon repeats as individual co-champion at tournament
JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. — NC State women's golf put together its best outing of the 2023-24 season with a runner-up finish at the 2024 Briar's Creek Invitational, marking its highest regular-season team finish since winning the Ocean Course Invitational in September of 2017.
The Wolfpack shot a combined 281 (-7) in the final round on Tuesday to finish with a one-over par 865 on the tournament and edge third-place Purdue by six strokes. The team's third round score and overall 54-hole score are both program top 10 marks in their respective categories.
Wolfpack junior Lauren Olivares Leon repeated as co-champion at the Briar's Creek Invitational after also earning her first career win at the event in 2023. She joins Brittany Marchand as the only two NC State players in team history to earn multiple career wins.
Four of the Pack's five scorers posted at least one round under par, and three players shot scores of 71 or better in the final round of action alone that was contested on Tuesday.
Olivares Leon secured her victory at the 2024 edition of the event with a pair of under-par rounds. After starting the tournament with a 74, she fired rounds of 69 (-3) and 68 (-4) to finish with a final score of 211 (-5). Her performance was highlighted by an eagle on 10 during round three.
Ellise Rymer earned the second top-20 finish of her young NC State career with her score of 217 (+1) ranking in a tie for 13th. Rymer shot 73-75-69 over the course of her 54 holes, with that final-round mark coming in as her second-lowest round of the year.
Isabel Amezcua started her time at the Briar's Creek Invitational with a one-under 71 before rounding out the week with a score of 218 (+2), and Vania Simont had a one-under 71 of her own in the final round to close out a tournament total of 219 (+3). They both also finished among the top 25 individuals in the field.
Jaclyn Kenzel rounded out the Pack's five scorers with a 228 (+12), and Caitlin Whitehead (231, +15) and Lea Ludwig (238, +22) also competed individually.
NC State is back in action in two weeks for its final stroke-play tournament of the 2023-24 regular season. The Wolfpack will compete at the Liz Murphy Collegiate Classic on March 29 and 30, with that event set to take place at the UGA Golf Course in Athens, Ga.
NC State Lineup
T1. Lauren Olivares Leon: 74-69-68=211 (-5)
T13. Ellise Rymer: 73-75-69=217 (+1)
T16. Isabel Amezcua: 71-74-73=218 (+2)
T21. Vania Simont: 73-75-71=219 (+3)
T58. Jaclyn Kenzel: 79-76-73=228 (+12)
T80. Caitlin Whitehead: 75-77-79=231 (+15)
T95. Lea Ludwig: 77-81-80=238 (+22)
Team Leaderboard
1. Michigan State: 284-282-294=860 (-4)
2. NC State: 291-293-281=865 (+1)
3. Purdue: 294-293-284=871 (+7)
T4. Illinois: 284-288-301=873 (+9)
T4. UCF: 301-281-291=873 (+9)
6. Florida: 290-293-292=875 (+11)
7. Miami: 294-298-284=876 (+12)
8. Rutgers: 291-290-297=878 (+14)
9. College of Charleston: 305-293-289=887 (+23)
T10. Nebraska: 296-298-294=888 (+24)
T10. Maryland: 299-300-289=888 (+24)
12. Campbell: 285-306-299=890 (+26)
13. Boston College: 294-292-307=893 (+29)
14. Georgetown: 292-302-301=896 (+32)
15. Penn State: 305-296-297=989 (+34)
16. Wisconsin: 299-304-298=901 (+37)
17. Old Dominion: 297-309-315=921 (+57)