SPRINGVILLE, Utah – Behind a pair of sixth-place individual finishes from Nathalie Irlbacher and Kaylee Shimizu, the Utah Valley University women's golf team opened its 2019-20 season by placing sixth out of 17 teams with a 35-over-par 887 at the 2019 Hobble Creek Fall Classic at Hobble Creek Golf Course in Springville on Tuesday. 
 
Irlbacher, who entered Tuesday's final round in second place on the individual leaderboard after tallying a 36-hole school record score of 1-under-par 141 on Monday, finished with scores of 73, 68 and 76 to tie for sixth with a 4-over-par 217. Her 3-under-par 68 ties for the second-best round in program history and her 54-hole total of 217 ties for the seventh-best three-round score in the UVU record books. 
 
The senior Shimizu too had a strong opening event for the Wolverines at the Hobble Creek Fall Classic by recording scores of 70, 73 and 74 en route to also tying for sixth with a 4-over-par 217. Shimizu led UVU at the event with nine birdies and one eagle. 
 
After entering Tuesday's final round in second place as a team after carding a two-round school  record score of 17-over-par 585, the Wolverines dropped to sixth in the stacked event on Tuesday by finishing with a 35-over-par 887. UVU recorded rounds of 294, 291 and 302 en route to tallying the fourth-best three-round score in UVU history of 887.
 
"We got a taste of what it's like to be in contention and that is going to motivate our team to elevate their game over the next couple of weeks," head UVU coach Dr. Sue Nyhus said. "I'm proud of the girls for posting good scores as well as having long stretches of solid play. I think we are on a good path and this performance will motivate the team moving forward." 
 
Cal State Fullerton won the tournament with a 26-over 878 (288-299-291), while WAC foe New Mexico State finished just one stroke back to earn runner-up honors (288-298-293—879), and Northern Arizona just two strokes behind to place third (287-292-301—880). Cal Poly placed fourth in the tightly contested event with a 30-over-par 882, while Wyoming finished in fifth with an 883. By placing sixth with an 887, UVU finished ahead of Sam Houston State (888), in-state foe Weber State (895), Portland State (898), Santa Clara (906), Boise State (907), in-state foe Southern Utah (909), UT Rio Grande Valley (911), California Baptist (914), Northern Colorado (914), Hawaii (917), and Incarnate Word (925). 
 
Senior Kate Williamson too played well for the Wolverines by recording a top-20 finish by tying for 20th with a 9-over-par 222 (75-74-73). Junior Bailey Henley also posted a top-20 finish by too tying for 20th while playing as an individual with a career-best 9-over-par 222 (72-73-77). 
 
Junior Keila Baladad (78-76-79—233) and freshman Lauren Taylor (76-77-83—236) rounded out UVU's field of five for the event by respectively tying for 68th and 77th places. Freshman Victoria Estrada too competed in her first collegiate tournament as an individual and tied for 71st (77-81-76—234) in the 100-player field.  
 
California Baptist's Jocelyn Chee (70-70-73) and Wyoming's Cristiana Ciasca (69-76-68) earned a share of individual medalist honors at the tournament by tying for first at even par (213).

The event marked UVU's lone home tournament of the 2019-20 season. 
 
The Wolverines will next head to Coeur d'Alane, Idaho, for Gonzaga's Coeur d'Alane Resort Collegiate Invitational on Sept. 23-24.