Kansas State women's golfer Sophie Bert claims medalist honors in Big 12 Championship
Kansas State women's golfer Sophie Bert shot a final round of 5-under-par 66 to climb the leaderboard and claim the Wildcats' first-ever individual conference title Thursday in the Big 12 Championship at Houston Oaks Golf Club in Hockley, Texas.
Bert, a senior from Deurle, Belgium who transferred to K-State from East Tennessee State, moved up 13 spots on the leaderboard to win the championship with a 54-hole total of 2-under-par 211. She was the only player to break par for the tournament.
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K-State senior Carla Bernot also made a charge, moving up eight spots with a 1-under 70 to tie Arizona State's Beth Coulter and Arizona's Nena Wongthanavimok for second at even-par 213.
Junior Noa van Beek also broke par Thursday with a 1-under 70 and finished in a tie for 40th place. K-State was the only team to break par during Thursday's final round, shooting a combined 5-under 279.
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Kansas State golfer Sophie Bert follows through on a shot during the women's Big 12 Championship this week at Houston Oaks Golf Club in Huckley, Texas. Bert shot was individual medalist with a 54-hole total of 2-under-par 211.
K-State moved up six spots from 11th place in the final round to finish fifth as a team with a 25-over 877 total. The Wildcats, who were third last year, recorded back-to-back top five finishes for the first time in school history.
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'What a comeback from the ladies today,' K-State coach Stew Burke said. 'Yesterday was the low point of our season, and we were looking for a reaction from them today. They certainly delivered by shooting the only team round under par all week. We are very proud of Sophie for winning the individual championship and Carla for her runner-up finish.
'As a group, I am extremely proud of them and how they kept great poise in difficult conditions. They deserve their NCAA Regional opportunity, and we look forward to Wednesday as we find out where we will be headed for the postseason.'
Arizona needed a playoff to win the team championship after tying Oklahoma State and Arizona State for first at the end of 54 holes.
K-State now waits for the NCAA Division I selection show next Wednesday to learn whether they qualify for their sixth-ever NCAA Regional berth and their first since 2017.
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Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Big 12 women's golf championship: Kansas State's Sophie Bert medalist
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