Fall Season in Review: Women’s Golf

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s golf team finished out the fall season and hopes that momentum carries into the spring.

“I think we ended the fall on a really high note winning the South Texas Showdown match against Corpus Christi,” Novoa said. “I was really proud of the girls on the way they finished. The experiences we got this semester playing in fields that were top-50 in the country every week and seeing the level we are going to rise to in the spring. The future is bright, and I loved the experiences we had and tasting victory is setting us up pretty good for the spring.”

The Vaqueros faced a gauntlet of a schedule in the fall as they competed at the Powercat Invitational (Kansas State), Red Raider Invitational (Texas Tech), and the Diane Thomason Invitational (Iowa) with the courses putting the field through the test.

Not very many teams get to experience a schedule like that, and it definitely showed the Vaqueros the level of play that they want to be in. It also showed them what they need to work on going into the spring.

“The biggest takeaway from the spring is the things we need to work on,” Novoa said. “It’s going to be the short game, discipline and strategy, and understanding our swings better. We have the plan in place and when it is executed, I think the results will get even better and get us into contention for a possible victory or a lot of top-three or top-fives like I know we are capable of.”

The Vaqueros had their brightest spots at the end of the fall as sophomore Natalia Rodriguez finished the Clash at Boulder Creek with a two-under 214, which earned her Southland Conference Golfer of the Month. She finished tied for 25^th with rounds of 70, 73, and 71.

Then the Vaqueros wrapped up the fall by defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with Camila Herrera, Cristina Galban, and Kieli Saenz coming away with victories. The Vaqueros put it all together at the right time, which is something they want to build on going forward.

“Natalia Rodriguez finishing under par in the last event of the semester and being the Southland Conference Golfer of the Month was a really good sign,” Novoa said. “Kieli Saenz stepping up and playing one and two for us in the first two months of the season got to a place to where she looked comfortable and poised. Jackie Gonzalez came off injury after a year and a half of not playing and slowly working her way back into the lineup and getting her feet wet again. I think she will be a force to be reckoned with in the spring. We are a young team. Camila stepped up and knows what she needs to do, and Cristina Galban finished the semester with her last four rounds not shooting over 73 and showing her talent level that we saw in her a year ago.”

The Vaqueros are not going to be complacent with what they saw to close out the fall. They know they have more to accomplish as they head into the spring.

The work for the spring has already started as the Vaqueros didn’t let off the gas pedal with the completion of their fall schedule. To find success in the spring it will take hard work from up and down the roster.

“It’s going to take discipline and work ethic,” Novoa said. “The girls know what they need to be doing. We are in our eight-hour weeks, and I see the work they are doing, and they are still grinding. Our culture is outstanding, and the future is bright. I love the maturity they are showing and the dedication they are showing,” Novoa said. “We are going to keep it consistent going forward.”

The Vaqueros took some good stuff away from the fall and that could mean the spring could bring even brighter.