Wildcats Take On Big Blue Bahamas at NEXUS Collegiate
NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The University of Kentucky women’s golf team is in the Big Blue Bahamas this week, competing at the NEXUS Collegiate hosted by Texas Tech at Albany Golf Club (par 72, 6,544 yards) in Nassau, Bahamas, from Feb. 12-14.
The Wildcats are one of 11 teams competing at the tropical tournament, which also includes Texas Tech, Iowa State, Houston, UTSA, North Texas, Michigan, Mississippi State, Illinois, Boston College and Tulsa.
Kentucky will tee off hole No. 10 at 7:45 a.m. ET on Monday, paired with Mississippi State and Illinois.
The Wildcats will sport a different lineup for the NEXUS Collegiate, including senior Laney Frye, graduate Marissa Wenzler, graduate Jensen Castle, graduate María Villanueva Aperribay and junior Marta López Echevarría. Cathryn Brown, a freshman from Eddyville, Kentucky, who made her first start a week ago, will compete as an individual.
Kentucky is coming off a 2-under performance for seventh place at the UCF Challenge last week, which marked its second-best tournament total through fives tournaments in 2023-24. Frye, a senior from Nicholasville, Kentucky, has paced the team all season, including her 2-under for T18 at the UCF Challenge. She is averaging a 70.2 stroke average through 14 rounds this season, a resume that includes nine rounds of par-or-better and seven rounds in the 60s.
Frye, an All-American, has turned in a tournament total of par-or-better at the last six straight events and finished in the top 20 at the last eight straight events.
Wenzler (73.1), Jensen Castle (73.0), María Villanueva Aperribay (74.8) and Marta López Echevarría (74.6) have all earned a finish inside the top 50 on the individual leaderboard this season, including Castle who is coming off her best outing since the season opener. Castle, an All-America, put together a 70, 74 and 71 to assemble a 1-under at the UCF Challenge at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Floirda.
López Echevarría, a junior from Roquetas de Mar, Spain, is coming off her second-best tournament total in her college career, a 5-under, also at the UCF Challenge. She rallied a 2-under-70 in the final round, which also marked the best round in her college career by two strokes.
Villanueva Aperribay will play in her first tournament this spring season after defeating her opponent in the Kentucky-Indiana match play event through 20 holes and missing the UCF Challenge.
The Wildcats can expect sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s throughout the tournament.
Big Blue Nation is encouraged to follow live scoring here.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s golf team, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
