The Hall Travels to Arizona for Rio Verde Invitational

RIO VERDE, ARIZ. - The Seton Hall women' golf team will return to action this weekend when it plays three rounds at the Rio Verde Invitational in Arizona, Feb. 21-23.

Tournament Details:
RIO VERDE INVITATIONAL
Host: Western Michigan University
Location: Rio Verde, Ariz.
Course: Rio Verde Country Club (White Wing Course)
Course Vitals: Par-72, 6,215 yards
Dates: February 21-23, 2020, Three Rounds

THE COURSE:
Rio Verde features two traditional-style courses with a soft desert look. They are more Midwestern in style with a lot more grass than one would imagine in a desert setting. When Tom Lehman led the $6 million course renovation project a few years ago, he achieved his vision of creating two uniquely distinct courses, giving members a never-ending variety of golf experiences. Quail Run has all the elements of a traditional golf course, and White Wing plays more like a links course. Common to both courses are meticulously groomed fairways, greens loaded with personality, and outstanding mountain views.

THE FIELD:
In addition to Seton Hall and host Western Michigan, the field is comprised of 16 other teams including: Akron, Arkansas State, Ball State, Boise State, Bowling Green, Bradley, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Illinois State, Missouri State, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Arkansas-Little Rock, UMKC, Wichita State and fellow BIG EAST competitor, Xavier.

THE LINEUP:
Seton Hall will bring the following golfers to Arizona, in order as listed:

Mia Kness, Junior
Carolina Ronchel Salas, Senior
Maddie Sager, Senior
Lizzie Win, Senior
Sammie Staudt, Senior

Individual – Sarah Fouratt, Sophomore

LAST TIME AT RIO VERDE:
Last year, Maddie Sager (Phoenixville, Pa.) fired a 1-under-par, 70, to lift the Pirates to a second-place finish at the 2019 Rio Verde Invitational. For the tournament, Sager tied for 13th place among 101 individual golfers with a 7-over-par, 79-70-149.

As a team, Seton Hall tied fellow BIG EAST competitor Xavier for the top second round score, an 8-over-par, 292, which represents a 10-shot improvement from its first-round score. The performance enabled the Pirates to jump three spots in the final standings to finish second. For the tournament, the Pirates fired a 26-over-par, 302-292-594. The Hall finished behind only the Musketeers, who edged it by just three strokes.

Seton Hall had two Pirates recorded top-10 finishes with Lizzie Win (Sylvania, Ohio) and Carolina Ronchel Salas (Huelva, Spain) tying for eighth place overall, one stroke better than Sager. W

LAST TIME OUT:
Junior Mia Kness (Venetia, Pa.) shot an even-par, 72, in Tuesday's final round to finish second among 81 individual golfers and lift the Pirates to a second-place team finish at the 2020 FAU Winter Warm-Up.

Kness birdied two of the final four holes to finish even par for the round. She ended the first tournament of the spring just one stroke behind the individual champion, Yale's Ami Gianchandani. For the three-round event, Kness shot a 1-under-par, 73-70-72-215. It is her third career sub-par tournament and her fifth top-5 finish.

Seton Hall, the team leader through two rounds, was caught on the final day by Arkansas State. The Pirates shot a respectable 9-over-par, 297, on Tuesday, but the Red Wolves carded a strong 4-under-par, 284. As a result, the Pirates finished second, three strokes behind Arkansas State, with a 17-over-par, 291-293-297-881.

TEE TIMES:
The field will play one round on each of three days. The tournament will begin on Friday with a 4:00 PM ET shotgun start. The shotgun start for both Saturday and Sunday is at 11:30 AM ET.

RESULTS:
Live scoring will be available via Golfstat.com. Complete results will also be available following each day's competition at SHUpirates.com.