The Iowa State women’s golf team traveled to Provo, Utah to participate in the 18-team Utah-Dixie Classic on April 6 and 7.

Iowa State found itself finishing in seventh place with a final tally of 956 strokes.

“We played pretty much average,” Assistant Coach Mark Hankins said. “We had some good scores, but we didn’t put all four rounds together. …

“We played relatively well,” Hankins said. “It was a tough golf course. So we had a solid finish in a strong field.”

Leading the Cyclones on the individual board was junior Fiona Watson. Watson finished in a tie for 20th position with a final tally of 236 strokes.

“Fiona is a great story,” Head Coach Julie Manning said. “She starts out last fall when she breaks two toes and was diagnosed with Grave’s disease in late October. She is just a great story.”

Hankins was pleased with Watson’s performance as well.

“Fiona played really well,” he said. “Every round, she shot consistent.”

The Cyclones’ trip was one of unusual circumstance as Manning wasn’t able to travel along with the team because of a back injury.

“This is the first time in 13 years that I have missed a trip,” she said.

Two Cyclones finished in a tie for 31st place overall.

Cathy Matthews and Gwynn Shepherd each finished with a final tally of 239 strokes.

Manning felt her absence had the biggest impact on Shepherd.

“I probably know Gwynn’s swing better than anyone in Ames,” she said. “She just got a little frustrated. She is just a competitor.”

Assistant Coach Mark Hankins took he team to provo.

“I talked a lot with Mark on the phone,” Manning said. “But it was a little different [not being there].”

Rounding out the five golfers attending for the Cyclones were Sara Linneman and Cristina Young.

Linneman finished in a tie for 46th place overall with a final card of 247.

“Sara Linneman is playing better,” Manning said. “She is gaining confidence.”

Young rounded out the squad with a final score of 266.

The score, which included an opening round of 100, put her in a tie for 79th overall.

“I don’t know what happened. whether it was a couple of bad holes or a bad round overall,” Manning said. “But it was good to see she followed it with a second round of 82 and then an 84. …

“Overall I am pleased,” she said. “We are accomplishing better things.”

Manning felt the tournament performance demonstrated improvement from the fourth and fifth golfers on the roster.

“We need to steady our fourth and fifth golfers,” Manning said. “We have been going to tournaments with three players posting good scores. But we feel better about Sara and Cristina.”

Fellow Big 12 team Oklahoma State, claimed the team medalist honors with a 918 stroke total over the 54-hole tournament.

Chasing close behind were the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Cornhuskers completed the tournament with 919 strokes, one stroke behind the medalists.

Also participating from the Big 12 were Kansas and Colorado.

The Jayhawks finished in eighth place, 11 strokes behind Iowa State.

Colorado finished the tournament in 12th place, with 985 strokes for the tournament.

The next tournament for the Cyclone women will be April 20-22, when they travel to the Big 12 Championship in Lawrence, Kan.