K-State's Bernat and Valociek earn top-10 finishes at Arkansas | K State Sports

“On days like today, the goal was always to play better and climb up the leaderboard. We certainly took first place in the first 15 holes, but unfortunately we weren't able to finish the round as well as we would have liked,” said Stew Burke, women's head coach. “Fifth place in this area is proof of how far we have come. However, we all feel like we missed the opportunity to beat some of the best teams in the country. We look forward to a quick turnaround and improvement for our next event in Denver.”

Valociek, a transfer from Virginia Tech, finished in 10th place with a 5-over-par 221 (73-72-76) after posting a 4-over-par 76 in Wednesday's final round. It was the sixth top-10 finish of his college career and second this season. As a team, the K-State men placed eighth with a 51-over-par 915 (301-299-315).

“It was a hard day. “We got off to a rocky start and then were able to pull ourselves together a little bit as we turned things around, but unfortunately things really got out of control in the back 9,” men's head coach Grant Robbins said. “The good thing about playing this format at the beginning of the fall on such a challenging golf course is that you learn a lot about your team and, more importantly, what we need to improve on. “We have to put this behind us, learn from it and prepare for next week’s Big 12 Match Play.”

Sophomore Alenka Navarro took second place for the Wildcat women when she posted a 54-hole score of 14-over-par 230 (74-80-76) after a round of 4-over-par 76 on Wednesday and thus took 25th place. Junior Noa van Beek finished 32nd with a 19-over-par 235 (71-83-81), two shots ahead of freshman Nanami Nakashima, who finished 39th with a 21-over-par 237 (75-80-82). Senior Sophie Bert turned in her best round of the event on Wednesday with a 1-over-par 73 and finished in 50th place with a 29-over-par 245 (86-86-73).

Nicklaus Mason moved up four spots in the leaderboard on Wednesday, finishing in 15th place with a 7-over-par 223 (74-75-74), thanks to a final-round score of 2-over-par 74. Ian McCrary (77-75-84). ) and Cooper Schultz (77-77-82) finished 46th with a 20-over-par 236, five shots ahead of JP Roller, who finished 53rd with a 25-over-par 241 (78-80-83).

The Arkansas women and LSU men took the team titles, while the Razorbacks finished at 12 under par 852 and the Tigers finished the event at 2 under par 862. Both teams also had individual medalists Maria Jose Marin on the women's side at 11 under par 205 and Gunnlaugur Arni Sveinsson on the men's side at 7 under par 209.

The K-State women's golf team is having a quick turnaround as it flies to the Denver area on Wednesday to prepare for the Ron Moore Intercollegiate, which runs Friday through Sunday in Highlands, Colorado. The men's team will also have to regroup quickly as it competes in the Big 12 Match Play Tournament Monday through Wednesday in Hockley, Texas.