By Andrew Hartley(andrewhart1ey) – Spear Reporter
Kajsa Arwefjäll looking to tee off. | Photo Courtesy of SJSU Athletics
Middle of the pack.
A placing that has not been true of the Spartans for the previous two years. Until their regular season finale yesterday.
San Jose State had their worst finish of the year finishing eighth, the lowest placement in a tournament since their 2021 season.
Although playing in Napa would make for more familiar conditions, the Spartans posted their three worst rounds of the season. The sixth ranked team in the nation shot 298-297-205 for a total of 900.
A stark change in a tournament they won just a year ago.
“A little disappointed with our finish,” said Head Coach Dana Dormann. “We exposed some things that we need to work on as we’re heading into conference and postseason,” said Dormann.
Putts troubled the Spartans greatly with 17 double-bogeys overall; seven of them coming on the last day of the tournament.
While no one of the team had a round under par, two players still finished in the top-25.
After participating in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Saturday, Antonia Malate flew straight to CA and finished tied for 11th.
Her 221 would lead the Spartans followed by Kajsa Arwefjäll’s 224, another ANWA participant.
Despite their higher than usual scores, they still managed to finish fourth in birdies.
They’ll finish the year with two tournament wins, four top-three finishes and a head-to-head win against No. 1 ranked Stanford. Malate and Arwefjäll also broke school records for the lowest round shot with a 64.
The Spartans will look to shake off this tournament and defend their Mountain West Championship title beginning April 18. Although they’re without last year’s individual champion, the sixth ranked SJSU looks to replicate their previous success.