The Iowa State women’s golf team opened its spring season at the Regional Challenge Tournament in Palos Verdes, Calif. on Feb. 10-12.

The Cyclones finished 17th of 18 teams at a very challenging 54-hole tournament that featured the top-ranked golf team in the country from Stanford University.

Despite the finish, Head Coach Julie Manning was pleased with the results.

“Things unfolded kind of how I expected them to,” Manning said. “I wanted to finish a little higher in our district, but I am not surprised.”

Manning said some may be wondering why the team traveled to Los Angeles in February.

“I wanted to set the tone for Spring, to find out what we needed to work on,” she said. “I didn’t have any expectations going into the tournament, rather to just use it as a forecast or a barometer of where we stand.”

Manning said the team had a day to adjust to the weather of Los Angeles.

“When you first get there, you are kind of in awe because of the blue skies and green grass. It takes a little time for your body to adjust and we only had one day to practice before teeing it up.”

The Cyclone squad was paced by the 43rd-place finish of Cathy Matthews. Matthews had a final total of 242 strokes.

“Cathy is great competitor for us,” Manning said.

Gwynn Shepherd finished three strokes back of Matthews in a tie for 51st with a final stroke total of 245.

“She is our steady-eddy,” Manning said. “Although, she was unhappy with her scoring. She was trying for something higher.”

Fiona Watson, coming off an injury-riddled fall, was third on the team with a final tally of 258 strokes, to finish in a tie for 69th.

“I am thrilled to death for Fiona,” Manning said. “She had broken toes this fall. She played really, really well. Better than her score.”

“Fiona didn’t start practicing up until a month ago and has really been working hard to get in shape and gaining some weight back.”

Sara Linneman was the fourth ISU golfer to participate. Linneman finished in a tie for 83rd with a 268 stroke total.

“Sara is not quite as competitive as she has been in the past,” Manning said. “She has been going through some tough times, but her swing hasn’t changed.”

The final Cyclone golfer was Kay C. Elgert with her 87th overall finish. Elgert completed the tournament with a total stroke count of 278.

The Cyclones had a team total of 1,013 strokes, finishing 108 strokes behind the team medalist of Stanford with 905.

The University of Texas and Texas A&M rounded out the Big 12 Conference teams participating in the tournament

The Longhorns claimed seventh place overall in the team title with a stroke total of 931. Leading Texas on the individual scoreboard was Heather Bowie, with her 219-stroke final card.

Bowie’s score was good enough for a one-shot victory in the individual medalist race.

The Aggies finished 12th place overall, with a 982 stroke total, finishing 51 strokes behind the Longhorns.

Another team of note is cross-state rival Iowa.

The Hawkeyes finished 18th place overall with a final score of 1,031 strokes, finishing 18 strokes behind the Cyclones.

The team champion of the tournament was Stanford.

The Cardinals posted two players in the top five, including runner-up Mhairi McKay. McKay finished one stroke behind Bowie with a final card of 220.

The other top-five finisher for the Cardinals was Andrea Baxter. Baxter finished in fourth place, two strokes behind McKay with a final card of 222.

Manning said the Cyclones were paired against the Cardinals in the opening round.

“We played against the top two players in the country in Andrea Baxter and Mhairi McKay,” Manning said.

Finishing up in the second spot for the team-title championship was the host team in UCLA. The Bruins finished a pair of strokes behind the Cardinals with a final card of 907 strokes.

Pacing the Bruins on the course were fourth-place finisher Sophie Sandolo with 222 strokes and sixth- place finisher Eunice Choi, with a final card of 223 shots.

Manning said the team may have lineup changes in the fourth and fifth spots.

“We are going to mix and match our fourth and fifth spots,” Manning said. “We have a couple of people we left at home that are knocking on the door.”

Manning pointed to Christina Young as a player who may play.

“She has been knocking on the door a lot,” Manning said. “We may want to see what we can do.”

Next action for the Cyclone women will be March 17-19 when they participate in the New Mexico Spring Intercollegiate in Albuquerque, N.M.

“I just added this to our schedule instead of our trip to Florida,” Manning said. “

We have a chance to finish high in this 16-team tournament. We are looking forward to it.”