As the Miami Hurricanes came into the spring half of their season, they hoped to build on the momentum they generated to end the fall season. They did exactly that.
The Hurricanes finished third out of 18 teams competing at the UCF Challenge at 11-under. The ‘Canes finished seven shots behind North Carolina (18-under) and just two shots behind Kansas (13-under).
Miami found itself inside the top five after round one and never left. After shooting an 8-under round as a team in the second round, the ‘Canes found themselves in second place. Miami fell a spot on the leaderboard after a final round 9-under (279) from Kansas.
The Hurricanes also had commendable individual performances. Redshirt junior Sara Byrne finished in a tie for fourth place, just six shots behind the champion. Byrne entered the final round five shots behind Texas Tech’s Lauren Zaretsky but was unable to make a final-round charge. Nonetheless, Byrne added another impressive finish to her résumé.
Finnish freshman Aada Rissanen finished in a tie for 18th place at 2-under, an impressive finish for the freshman.
Freshman Rebekah Gardener finished in a tie for 31st at even par. Gardener found herself sitting at 1-under after the second round, but a 1-over third round dropped her 10 spots on the leaderboard. Similar to Gardener, Olivia Grønborg also struggled in the final round. After round two, Gronborg was tied for 14th, and after a final round 74 (2-over), she fell to 31st.
Barbora Bujáková, the Czech freshman, finished in a tie for 36th place. An opening round 74 left her at 2-over par, but she finished at 1-over at the end of the tournament.
German freshman Sophie Bierstorfer finished in a tie for 50th at four-over-par. After the first two rounds, Bierstorfer sat at five-over-par. A final round 71 (1-under) helped her jump seven spots.
Miami now has two weeks off after its impressive showing in Orlando, Florida. The ‘Canes will travel in-state to Sarasota for the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational, hosted by Michigan State, from February 18–19.