After winning the program’s first-ever tournament title on Sept. 27, the Buccaneers accomplished the feat a second time with a team victory at the University of Houston-Victoria Fall Invitational on Tuesday at The Club at Colony Creek in Victoria, Texas.
Not only did Blinn top the six-team field with a two-day total of 673 (97-over par and a six-stroke lead), but Buccaneer freshman Jocelyn Nevarez was the tournament medalist, leading the 30-player competition at 12-over par.
(Pictured: Blinn College freshman Jocelyn Nevarez)
“I’m very thankful to be on this team and compete with so many great players,” Nevarez said. “I had a lot of fun on the course these past couple of days. The weather conditions were tough, but I’m lucky that my coaches pushed me to get me where I am right now.”
The Buccaneers placed two other golfers in the top seven, with freshmen Emily Madeley (23-over) and Krista Vasquez (25-over) finishing fifth and seventh, respectively.
Nevarez added that team chemistry has lifted the Bucs during their recent run of success.
“We can all depend on each other, and every player on this team is there for each other,” she said. “We help each other, we pick each other up, and everyone is still working hard to play our best.”
The tournament win was also special for head coach David Johnson, who helped launch the Buccaneer men’s and women’s golf programs in 2019.
“This is the first time in my career that one of my teams has won back-to-back tournaments,” Johnson said. “I was really proud of the ladies for hanging tough on a day the course played long with winds blowing 20-30 miles per hour.”
Other teams competing in the tournament were Our Lady of the Lake University (second place), UH-Victoria (third), Blinn College JV (fourth), Oklahoma Wesleyan University (fifth), and UH-Victoria JV (sixth).
The Buccaneers conclude their fall season at the Hesston College Thorntree Throwdown beginning Monday, Oct. 24, and ending Tuesday, Oct. 25.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
