ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Morgan Ellison tied for eighth place to notch the top finish of her UTSA career and help lead the Roadrunners to 13th at the Coach Mo Classic, which wrapped up Tuesday at St. John's Golf and Country Club (par 72/6,450 yards).
Entering the final round in an eight-way deadlock for 10th at 5-over-par 149, Ellison carded an even-par 72 to move up two spots into a share of eighth at 5-over 221 with Purdue’s Momo Sugiyama, who is ranked 122nd nationally. The senior was only three shots out of the top five in the 90-player field while charting her second career top 10 (T-10th, 2022 Dale McNamara Invitational).
Ellison’s final-round scorecard was headlined by birdies on the 340-yard, par-4 fourth and the 174-yard, par-3 17th holes, the latter of which helped her register a 1-under 35 on the back nine. The Peachtree City, Georgia, native ended the week with six birdies and a tournament-best 39 pars, and she played the par threes at 2-under par.
Lauren Rios also recorded her top finish of the season by tying for 20th with a 9-over 225. A native of Coppell, Texas, she logged her second 2-over 74 of the week behind a pair of birdies, a three on the 418-yard ninth and a four on the 507-yard 12th. She paced UTSA with seven birdies for the event while soaring past her previous season-best showing of 41st at the Clover Cup last month.
Daniela Abonce tied for 54th (75-80-78—233), while Olivia Williams and Maria Bastarrica rounded out the UTSA lineup in 75th (84-78-77—239) and 83rd (86-82-81—249), respectively.
In the team race, the Roadrunners registered their best round of the tournament with a 301 on Tuesday to finish with a 918, 13 shots ahead of Toledo and nine strokes out of the top 10.
No. 39 Purdue claimed the team title with an 877, followed by 44th-ranked College of Charleston (881) and Charlotte (893) in the top three of the 16-team field.
Purdue’s Natasha Kiel — the 50th-ranked individual in the nation — captured medalist honors with a 3-under 213 (68-71-74).
The Roadrunners will return to the Sunshine State for the American Athletic Conference Championship on April 14-16 at Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville.
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