DALLAS – The New Mexico State Aggies played their best team round of the weekend on Saturday, posting a final round 299 in the Dallas Athletic Club/SMU Invitational.
 
NM State finished 13th overall with a 914 team score, two strokes behind No. 41 Tulane who placed 12th with a 912. The Aggies were three strokes better than Central Arkansas and Florida International that tied for 14th at 917.
 
"This was another strong tournament," said NM State head coach Jackie Booth. "There were eight Top 45 teams in the field and we competed. Our play on the par 5s this week was poor and held us back from beating some of the teams ranked ahead of us. That will be our focus before we play again next week."
 
Junior Camille Orito from Fresno, Calif./Clovis West, led the way for the Aggies in the final round. She fired a 1-under-par 71 on her final loop of the par 72, 6,174 DAC Blue Course. Orito shot par golf on the back nine, while collecting four birdies with three bogeys on the front side. Orito led the Aggies at 227 in a tie for 28th.
 
Sophomore Kennedie Montoya of Thatcher, Ariz., and senior Kacey Dalpes of Alamogordo, N.M., both bounced back in the final round to shoot 3-over par 75. Montoya finished at 230, while Dalpes totaled 233.
 
The Macias sisters from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico shot identical 6-over 78s in the final round. Senior Viviana tied for 35th with her 299 total, while junior Valeria ended with a 231.
 
Playing as an individual, junior Kristen Cline of Socorro, N.M., carded a 4-over 76 on Saturday to post a 233 final score.
 
No. 10 Oklahoma State won the team event at 868 after a 2-over 290 on Saturday. No. 18 UNLV placed second with an 888 and No. 13 Washington was third at 895.
 
Individually, Kansas' Yupaporn Kawinpakorn shot a 1-over 73 in the last round, but won the medalist honors at 6-under 210. She was five strokes better than the second place tie at 1-under 215 featuring the Oklahoma State duo of Linnea Johansson and Emma Broze with Central Arkansas' Emma Svensson. Johansson fired the tournament's best round of 6-under 66 on Saturday to move into the second place tie.
 
NM State plays again next weekend at the Texas Tech Red Raider Shootout that is expected to draw another outstanding, nationally ranked field.
 
"This team is very close to beating some great teams," said Booth.  "We look forward to every opportunity to show our talent."
 
The tournament is Friday and Saturday, April 8 and 9, at The Rawls Course on the Tech campus in Lubbock.