PHOENIX, AZ — Saint Martin's Women's Golf competed in the SMSU Spring Invite and SMSU Challenge down in Arizona over Spring Break from Monday, March 10th through Friday, March 14th.

Kelsie Inouye got the Saints out to a strong start at the SMSU Spring Invite to begin the week with an impressive 70 (-2) first-round performance, tying her program-topping mark once again this season. Her second round would be a few strokes above par, but Inouye's start would land her tied for fourth place by the end of the Invite. Hannah White would be the team leader in round two with a mark of 74 (+2) in a great finish to the contest and finish 18th individually. Ashley Bruland followed closely behind in 19th place individually in two balanced rounds of golf in a solid effort, and Jade Rebelo and Hailey Blancas rounded out the lineup by both having solid finishes to the competition. Overall, the Saints placed 5th out of 12 teams at the SMSU Spring Invite before turning around for another tournament later that week.

The Saints shined in the SMSU Challenge just a few days after the Spring Invite, which culminated in a historic finish to their week of competition. Rain and wind would pick up during the time of play, but SMU was up to the challenge. It would be a battle through the first round, but the Saints held strong and clawed their way up to second place as a team by the end of the first round. Inouye and White would be tied at the top for Saint Martin's with Bruland close behind. As the conditions improved for round two, the Saints found themselves in a good spot but were still trailing then-leading Rockhurst by 11 strokes to start the second day. The Saints could feel the momentum building as the day went on, with White once again jumping out to a fantastic start while Inouye continued her consistently top-scoring pace. Blancas would have a career day in her final round of the SMSU Challenge, hitting par for a majority of the final stretch of the contest, helping propel the Saints past the lead that Rockhurst held after the first round. Bruland would finish in 13th individually in another great performance from the junior while Blancas would jump to 18th by the end of the second round. Rebelo also found her stride at the end of the tournament, helping SMU be crowned the 2025 SMSU Challenge Champions by three strokes. White would finish second among all individual competitors and Inouye would place third. The Saints finished first ahead of 11 other programs.

Head Coach Anne Bahr mentioned the challenges of the weather that the team was able to overcome, along with Blancas's crucial performance at the end of the week:

"We got the short end of the stick with tee times in Round 1 of the SMSU Challenge, but they grit through it and their attitude made a huge difference. The wind was gusting up to 40mph and the rain started to come down before they finally called a stoppage of play. A huge kudos goes out to Hailey who played her final five holes in even par after our weather delay. She became a counting score for round one because of it and then followed it up with another great round on Friday." 

The big tournament win marks Bahr's first as the head coach of Saint Martin's Women's Golf and the program's first title in over a decade. Bahr was thrilled at the achievement and gave the credit to her athletes:

"All of our players really had a hand in making this week the success it was, and I can't give them enough credit for finishing strong after six long days of golf. To get my first win as a head coach with this group is special, and they deserve all of the recognition for their hard work and support of each other."

Kelsie Inouye was named the GNAC's Women's Golf Player of the Week earlier this week for her outstanding performances in both meets, which you can learn more about here. This marks Inouye's first career Player of the Week award, which Coach Bahr states has been long overdue, while also mentioning White's monumental finish to the week:

"Kelsie is fully deserving of her POTW honor. She tied our program record for the third time and notched two top-5's in competitive fields. Hannah's final round on Friday was incredible. She's been itching to close out a good round, and made an incredible par on 18 to finish in second place. My hope is that with this experience, she will be able to build on it and close out her career as a Saint this spring on a high note."

SMU Women's Golf will be back in action in April for the RJGA Palm Valley Classic down in Arizona. Get more information here.