CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Led by top-five finishes from Ana Gonzalez and Hannah Holzmann and a final-round 70 by Nicole Polivchak, the UTSA women's golf team held off North Florida by one stroke for the Chattanooga Classic team crown on Tuesday at Council Fire Golf Course (par 72/6,234 yards).
Leading by two shots entering the final 18 holes, the Roadrunners and Ospreys battled all day for team supremacy. Strong finishes from Gonzalez, who aced No. 17, and Holzmann, who birdied her final two holes, as well as birdies on the 18th from Camryn Carreon and Polivchak, helped guide UTSA to a 293 team total on Tuesday and a 5-over-par 869 for the event, one stroke better than North Florida.
UTSA finished six shots in front of third-place Central Arkansas and ended up 86 strokes ahead of Big Ten Conference member Indiana in the 20-team field in capturing the program's 15th team championship including the seventh under fifth-year head coach Summer Batiste. It marks the Roadrunners' first team title since they won the 2020 Maryb S. Kauth Invitational a little more than two years ago and days before the rest of that season was canceled due to the pandemic.
"I'm very proud of these ladies," said Batiste, a two-time Conference USA Coach of the Year. "Every day, this group puts in the work and pushes each other to be better. Watching them come down the stretch today with grit and focused on finishing strong is something we look forward to seeing more of this spring."
UTSA the final stretch of holes on Tuesday trailing North Florida in a tight race for the team trophy.
Gonzalez was sitting at 2-over par for the day before she registered her hole-in-one on the par-3 17th hole to get her back to even for the round, and it also helped push the Roadrunners into the lead in the team race for good. A super senior out of Monterrey, Mexico, she led the lineup by grabbing a share of runner-up honors at 4-under 212 behind 11 birdies for the week. The four-time all-conference performer finished with a 72 after logging back-to-back 70s on Sunday-Monday in turning in her 13th career top-10 finish.
Playing in the final group, Holzmann bounced back from bogeys on Nos. 15-16 with back-to-back birdies on the final two holes to help secure the team title for UTSA. The senior from San Antonio settled into a tie for fourth place at 2-under 214, as she carded a career-best 67 on Monday that was sandwiched by a 72 and a 75 en route to her second top 10 of the season and ninth of her career.
Polivchak paced UTSA on Tuesday with her 2-under par scorecard on the strength of five birdies, the last of which helped the Roadrunners start their rally for the win. The super senior finished in a tie for 13th place at 3-over 219 after opening the 54-hole event with a 76-73—149.
Carreon registered the other counting score of the final round for the Roadrunners with a 76 that included three birdies, all in the final five holes. The San Antonio native ended up in a tie for 36th at 8-over 224 after opening with a 79-69—148.
Hunter Nugent closed out the UTSA order in a tie for 92nd with a 240 (80-82-78).
Duke's Anne Chen won the individual crown with a 9-under 207 (72-69-66).
The Roadrunners will return home to host the Maryb S. Kauth Invitational next Tuesday-Wednesday, April 5-6, at San Antonio Country Club. Admission is free for spectators.
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