LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State senior Viviana Macias held on to her one stroke lead and the Aggies are second as a team heading into the final round of the 2015 Aggie Invitational at the NM State Golf Course.
 
The Aggies recorded a 3-under-par 285 team score on Tuesday for a two-round total of 3-under 573, just four strokes behind tournament leader BYU. The Cougars posted a 1-under 287 in the second round for a total of 7-under 569.
 
The two teams are well out in front of the pack, as NM State is 15 strokes ahead of third place Idaho at 12-over 588 and 17 better than fourth place UC Riverside at 14-over 590 in the 14-team field.
 
"I'm so proud of how we played today," said NM State head coach Jackie Booth. "We came out of the gates a little slow, and Danny (Bowen, assistant coach) and I saw it right away. So we went around and told the team 'The greens are soft, take dead aim. We need some birdies,' because BYU came out pretty strong. They really took it to heart and got it done."
 
Senior Viviana Macias of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, maintained her one stroke lead for the individual title, touring the par 72, 6,358-yard NM State Golf Course at even par. Her 36-hole total of 5-under 139 is one stroke better than BYU's Kendra Dalton and Nevada's Caryn Khoo who are tied in second at 4-under 140.
 
Tuesday's best round of the day came from NM State junior Kristen Cline of Soccoro, N.M., who fired a 4-under 68. It was the day's only sub-70 score.
 
"She's struggled a lot this year, and it was so nice to see it all come together for her today," said Booth. "Her confidence was the difference. She had the confidence that she could finish strong and she did it. We've been working with her a lot on the mental part. She just really believed in herself, kept being aggressive and got the job done."
 
Cline is tied for 10th individually at 1-over 145.
 
Junior Camille Orito of Fresno, Calif./Clovis West, kept up her strong play as well during the second round and put herself in contention for individual honors with a 1-under 71 on Tuesday. Orito is tied for fourth with BYU's Rose Huang at 2-under 142, just three strokes off Macias' lead.
 
Junior Valeria Macias, sister of Viviana, improved in the second round, carding a 2-over 74 in the second round for a total of 6-over 150, while senior Kacey Dalpes of Alamogordo, N.M., shot a 6-over 78 on Tuesday for an 8-over 152.
 
Playing as an individual, Aggie sophomore Kennedie Montoya of Thatcher, Ariz., tallied a 4-over 76 to total 8-over 152.
 
The tournament concludes Wednesday. Play begins with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. at the NM State Golf Course on Herb Wimberly Drive.
 
Admission to watch the tournament is free. Live statistics are also available via NMStateSports.com.