The Cowgirls traveled to Arizona to compete in the 12th annual Wyoming Cowgirl Classic on April 2 and April 3. The team finished with a score of 892 (+28), which marked the best score at the tournament to date, according to Wyoming Athletics’ Lincoln Mansch.
“We were really just hoping, because most of us had played that course before, just using our course knowledge and putting up the best scores we could,” Erin Sargent said.
Leading the team was senior Gabrielle Gibson. She went one under in the first round with a 71, then shot a 75 (+3) in the second round, and finished up strong with a 74 (+2) in the final round. Her scores placed her in 21st overall, with a score of 220 (+4), making it her sixth appearance in the top-25 during her senior year.
Behind Gibson was Sargent, Megan Knadler, Caitlyn Skavdahl, Kaylee Knadler, and Sarah Hankins. Sargent tied for 30th, both M. Knadler tied for 56th, K. Knadler tied for 65th, and Hankins rounded out the scoring for the Cowgirls with a tie for 78th place with a score of 233 (+17).
“I played really well and played really confidently, which was really fun because it’s been a while since I’ve been able to play freely like that,” K. Knadler said. “I don’t know, I just had my game going, everything was solid – it was really good.”
K. Knadler, along with Sargent, was one who really stepped it up when it mattered, and finished out the tournament strong. K. Knadler shot a 75 (+3) in the first round, then had a bit of a slump in the second round when she shot an 82 (+10), then turned it around in the final round to shoot a 73 (+1). Her counterpart Sargent didn’t have quite the rollercoaster performance as K. Knadler did, but she still had her best round in the 3rd round where she, too, shot a 73 (+1).
“Hopefully I can bring the confidence and the good swing to play into conference, because I know I have it in me to play well right now,” K. Knadler said.
The Cowgirl Classic is technically hosted by the University of Wyoming, and Sargent noted the course down in Arizona really does a good job making it feel like home, even going as far as painting the bucking horse on the tee-boxes.
“It’s cool to have a home tournament even though it’s not necessarily at home, it feels like it is,” Sargent said.
The Cowgirls will head to the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California on April 16-18 for the 2018 Mountain West Championships, where they hope to keep improving and make some noise.
“Feeding off of positive and confident play is going to be key for us next tournament,” Sargent said. “Really just trusting in what I’m putting into it and believing that I can put up low scores.”
