BEAUMONT, Texas – Sophomore Kate Tran shot a career-low 69, helping lead the UT Arlington women's golf team to a season-best 4th-place finish at Lamar's Cardinal Challenge on Tuesday from Beaumont Country Club.
 
Tran broke 70 for the first time in her collegiate career, bouncing back impressively from a pair of rounds in the 80s on Monday with the 2-under performance. The 69 equaled Madigan Murray for the best by a Maverick this year, and was two shots better than Tran's previous career round of 71 done twice.
 
Her round helped UTA post its best final round of the year as the Mavs secured a 302 total – tied for the 2nd-best 18 in the field – and also matched the team's 3rd-best showing in any round this season.
 
All told, UTA finished in sole possession of 4th place – one place better than the team's previous-best finish this year – thanks to a 936 three-round total. Texas State won the 10-team event with an 882, running away from Houston Baptist (902) and Lamar (912).
 
Tran (80-82-69: 231) led the Mavs and established another career performance by tying for 13th place overall in the field of 58 – the best finish of her young career (T-18 last year).
 
Also establishing a career-best placement on the leaderboard was freshman Abigail Adams who broke into the top-15 for the first time, finishing in a tie for 15th following a final-round 75 as part of a 233 total (78-80 first two rounds). Adams' previous-best finish on the leaderboard this year was a tie for 28th.
 
Murray (83), Elena Kim (80) and Sydney Garber (78) rounded out the UTA lineup scoring for the day as each of the Mavs' four counting scores were well below the field scoring average (81.28). Murray (239 total) tied for 23rd overall, while Kim – making her first appearance since the season-opening tournament in early September because of an injury – and Garber (both 240) tied for 28th. It marked the first time all year each of the Mavs' five lineup members finished inside the top 30 of a tournament.
 
Competing as an individual, freshman Connor Howard shot a final-round 85 as part of a 249 total to tie for 39th place overall.
 
Tran started her round on the 9th hole in the shotgun format, and was bogey-free until her final hole of the day – the par-4 8th. She rolled in birdies on the par-4 16th, 3rd and 5th, and – aside from the one mishap on the 8th – posted 14 pars on a nearly flawless scorecard.
 
As a team, UTA converted 22 birdies over the three rounds – the 3rd-most in the field behind only Texas State (34) and host Lamar (33). However, no one on the Mavs had more than five birdies to her name, demonstrating the balanced effort up and down the lineup; the five in the lineup finished the tournament separated by just nine shots as well.
 
Originally scheduled to be contested at Eagle Pointe Golf Club in Mont Belvieu, the tournament on Saturday was moved about an hour away to Beaumont due to green conditions at Eagle Pointe. The course played as a par 71 at 5,942 yards.
 
Next up, UTA will conclude its regular season when the Mavs head out to Arizona to compete in the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic next Monday and Tuesday, Apr. 8-9, at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa. The Sun Belt Championship is the following week at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., Apr. 15-17.
 
FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
For up-to-date news, photos, videos and updates you can follow UTA Athletics online at UTAMavs.com or via any of our social edia accounts: Twitter @UTAMavs, Instagram: @UTAMavs, Snapchat: @UTAMavs and Facebook: /UTArlingtonAthletics. Follow UTA golf on Twitter: @UTAMavsGolf and Instagram: @UTA_WomensGolf and @UTA_MensGolf.