Cowgirls Open Season with Record-Breaking Runner-Up Finish
Saratoga Springs, Utah – The Wyoming Cowgirl golf team kicked off its fall season in historic fashion, taking second place at the Wolverine Invitational at TalonsCove Golf Club. The squad not only posted its best 54-hole score in program history but also rewrote several spots in the record book along the way.
Wyoming carded a 4-under 284 in Tuesday’s final round — the best score of the 10-team field — to finish the tournament at 11-under 853. That mark stands as the lowest team total ever recorded by the Cowgirls, topping the previous school record by a wide margin. The effort placed them just three shots behind tournament champion Cal State Northridge, who finished at 14-under 850.
Leading the charge was Montana transfer Elle Higgins, who delivered a performance for the ages. Higgins opened play with a program-record 68 (-5) on Monday and capped her week with a 2-under 70 on Tuesday. Her 54-hole total of 209 (-7) set a new school record for lowest tournament score and earned her runner-up honors, only two shots back of Westminster’s Ashley Lam (-9, 207). A back-nine surge highlighted Higgins’ final round, with birdies on 13, 15, and 16 fueling a closing 33.
“Elle played very poised and patient which boosted her fantastic birdie run on the back nine,” head coach Josey Stender said. “I think the sky is the limit for her.”
The Cowgirls also saw standout performances from true freshman Kiley Reisner and senior Meghan Vogt, who each finished tied for 10th at 214 (-2). Both marks now rank among the top-five lowest tournament scores in team history. Sophomore Lucia Morelli turned in a consistent even-par 216 to place 15th, while sophomore Kira Reisner rounded out the scoring group at 225 (+9).
The team’s 6-under 282 in the second round broke the school record for lowest team round, previously set in 2022. Tuesday’s 284 now sits as the second-best round in program history, followed closely by Monday’s opening 287 at fourth-best all time.
“I’m so incredibly proud of the effort and fight by the team today,” Stender said. “They have worked tirelessly on being present, not outcome driven, which really paid off in the heat of the moment.”
Wyoming also held off Weber State by two strokes to secure second place outright. The performance provides momentum heading into the Ram Classic (Sept. 22–23) at Ptarmigan Golf Club, where the Cowgirls will look to build on their record-setting start
.