Friday, February 25
Rio Verde, Ariz.
Missouri State University
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Rio Verde Invitational
Women's Golf Set to Open Spring Campaign as Valley Favorite
February 24, 2022 | Women's Golf
The Missouri State women's golf team will open its spring season Friday thru Sunday (Feb. 25-27) at the Rio Verde Invitational in Rio Verde, Ariz. A perennial stop on the schedule, the Bears will be making their 18th trip to the tournament in the last 19 years, missing only last year, when it was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The 18-team field will tee off at 1 p.m. Friday, and 8:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday on the White Wing Course at Rio Verde Country Club., a Tom Lehman design that will play to a par of 72 at 6,001 yards for the tournament. Live scoring will be available on Golfstat at: https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=23533.
The Bears are led by former Missouri Valley Conference medalist and Player of the Year Abby Cavaiani. The senior from Wales, Wis. led the league with a 73.47 scoring average in the fall and captured her second straight title at the MSU/Payne Stewart Memorial. She was backed up by sophomore Kayla Pfitzner, who emerged as one of the Bears' leaders and posted a 75.07 scoring average.
Rounding out the Bear five in the opener are senior Faith Belmear, junior Brooke Newell, and senior Arielle Keating, who'll be making her first start after transferring mid-year from Florida Atlantic. Belmear averaged 76.68 in the fall and Newell 77.67.
MSU begins the spring as a slim favorite to win the MVC title later this spring. In a poll of the league coaches released Wednesday (Feb. 23), the Bears narrowly edged Illinois State, 95-93 points, with each team garnering five first-place votes. Bradley was picked for third with 78 points, with UNI fourth (58) and Southern Illinois fifth (55). Drake (54) was the choice for sixth, followed by Loyola (50), Indiana State (32), defending champ Evansville (24) and Valparaiso (11). Illinois State, Bradley and Loyola all are in the field at Rio Verde.
The Bears claimed back-to-back Valley championships in 2017 and 2018, but have placed fourth in the two league tournaments since then. There was no championship in 2020.
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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