The No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks led by junior medalist Maria Fassi, blew away the field with a 12-stroke victory on Tuesday at the invitation-only ANNIKA Intercollegiate tournament in suburban Minneapolis.
The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville shot a 16 under for the three-round tournament and won a second consecutive title for the first time in school history. Fassi shot a 10 under to win the tournament. The native of Hidalgo, Mexico, had a 6-under 66 on Tuesday to close out the victory. Fassi became the first Razorback to claim back-to-back medalist honors since NCAA champion Stacy Lewis won three in a row in 2007-08.
Senior Alana Uriell and junior Dylan Kim carded 71s in the final round to tie for third place. Uriell has finished third in both events this fall, while Kim was making her debut for the Razorbacks.
Junior Cara Gorlei tied for 18th at 2 over, while junior Kaylee Benton came in tied for 41st with a 12-over 228.
Arkansas finished 12 shots ahead of UCLA, the only other team to go under par at 4 under. No. 16 Stanford finished third at 6 over, followed by No. 10 Furman (9 over) and No. 45 Texas (9 over) in the 12-team field.
Coach Shauna Estes-Taylor notched her 14th victory at Arkansas.
The Razorbacks, who tied an NCAA record with a 41 under to capture the Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tenn., on Sept. 17, will play in two more fall events, with the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational up next on Oct. 13 in Chapel Hill, N.C.