ALBUQUERQUE – The New Mexico State women's golf team posted two solid rounds to open the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational at UNM Championship Golf Course and sits in a fourth-place tie (+4), three strokes behind leaders Denver and Pepperdine (+1).
 
The Aggies shot a 292 in round one before trimming it to a 288 to finish the day tied for fourth with Kansas State (+4). Washington (+2) sits in third while Denver and Pepperdine each finished one-over-par and tied for first.
 
"Today was a good start to the tournament for us," said head coach Danny Bowen. "The course was very gettable today and we did a good job of taking advantage of our scoring opportunities."
 
Individually, Karen Miyamoto paced the Aggies, carding a three-under-par 141 to finish the day tied for fifth. Miyamoto also recorded an eagle on 18. Amelia McKee was steady all day shooting an even 144 and sits in a 12^th-place tie while sophomore Alex Quihuis finished the day tied for 23^rd (+2).
 
"It was great to see Karen play with commitment and trust in her game," Bowen added. "She played in the middle of our three groups today and did well at keeping our team energy up! Amelia and Alex played solid all day for us. The scoreboard is pretty bunched up so tomorrow will be an important round but we are only a few shots off the lead so it should be a good battle."
 
The Aggies are set to close out the Branch/McGuire, tomorrow, April 11, also at UNM Championship Golf Course. Aggie fans can follow along as NM State chases the team championship with live scoring via GolfStat.
 
Results | Team
T4. New Mexico State | 292-288=580 (+4)

Results | Individual
T5. Karen Miyamoto | 71-70=141 (-3)
T12. Amelia McKee | 73-71=144 (E)
T23. Alex Quihuis | 74-72=146 (+2)
T40. Alison Gastelum | 75-75=150 (+6)
T52. Pun Chanachai | 74-79=153 (+9)
T52. Arantza Armas Stenner | 76-77=153 (+9) (Individual)