The Iowa women’s golf team closed out its fall slate at the Hurricane Invitational Tournament. The three-round event was held October 28-29 at Biltmore Golf Course in Coral Gables, Florida.

Teams such as South Alabama, Florida International, North Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Big Ten rival Nebraska and host school Miami competed for the championship in the tournament.

The Hawkeyes finished fourth out of 11 teams, giving Iowa its second consecutive top-five finish and a season-best second-place finish following its championship victory at the Dianne Thomason Invitational Sept. 30-October 1. The Hawkeyes have finished in the top 10 in each of their four tournaments this season.

In her sophomore year, Ximena Benites led the way for the Hawkeyes with a tournament total of 215, one stroke below par and tied for fourth place with Miami’s Rebekah Gardner. Fellow sophomore Maura Peters earned a career-best invitational score of 206, placing her in 22nd place and her best second-place finish of the season.

Benites bounced back from a rough start in the first round, pitching a five-inning above-par pitch. The sophomore bounced back from there, posting 69 points in both the second and third rounds to secure a top-five finish for the season.

Elsewhere, junior Riley Lewis placed 29th with 223 points, fellow junior Shannyn Volger placed 34th, and fourth-year student Paula Miranda placed a disappointing 38th with 225 points.

“It was great to see three consecutive runs this week,” Iowa head coach Megan Menzel told Hawkeye Sports. Ximena and Maura posted personal bests as Hawkeyes and it was a solid team effort. “The team has worked hard this fall and we are all looking forward to a productive offseason and a strong spring season.”

Miami captured the team championship with a score of 852 (12-under-par), including an impressive 10-under score in the final round. Olivia Gronborg won the individual crown and finished at eight-under par for 208, making it a clean sweep of both championships for the Hurricanes.

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Thus ends Iowa’s fall season. They will be back in action on January 31 in Guadalajara, Mexico, for the Collegiate Invitational hosted by the Virginia Cavaliers.