PUEBLO, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's golf team earned its first victory in program history with a record-setting score in the season-opening Samuel Proal Farmers Insurance Invitational at Colorado State-Pueblo. The Mountain Lions finished with a 15-over 303 in today's final round and 28-over par in two rounds, and won by a nine-stroke margin over the host ThunderWolves.

UCCS finished with three golfers in the top five, led by tournament runner-up McKenna Vanko. She turned in a 3-over 75 today and finished two strokes out of the lead with a tournament score of 148 (+4) in her first collegiate tournament. Alex Darwin tied for third with a 149 after a 75 today and Julia Baroth tied for fifth in her Mountain Lion debut with a 149 and a team-leading 74 in today's round.

Timbrelee McNair closed out the team score with a 7-over 79 and tied for No. 13 on a 157 in two rounds. Megan Vernon tied for No. 12 as an individual golfer with a 156 after an 82 today in her best career finish. Emily Nolley improved by seven strokes in today's round with a 78 and tied for No. 22 on a 163, and Regina Dillon rounded out the Mountain Lions in the top 30 with a 166 and a tie for No. 27. 

UCCS finished with a two-round score of 608 at 28 strokes over par, a three-stroke improvement relative to par from the previous program record set at the 2016 RMAC Championships. The Mountain Lions finished as the runner-up in three tournaments in the first four seasons of program history before today's victory. The win came against seven of the 11 other conference schools after UCCS was picked fifth in the preseason coaches' poll last week, including two schools ranked higher in the poll.

The Mountain Lions will face the entire conference field next week at the RMAC North event Sept. 11-12, at Fox Hollow Golf Course in Lakewood, Colo.