'Dogs take second at Gold Rush, Basanisi wins Prospector

LONG BEACH, Calif. - The Fresno State women's golf team continued its outstanding spring performance with a runner-up finish at The Gold Rush, hosted by Long Beach State, after firing a 22-over-par 886 (291-292-303) at the Old Ranch Country Club this week. This is Fresno State's second consecutive runner-up finish. The Bulldogs remained in second place after a 7-over-par 583 through the opening 36 holes on Monday. The 'Dogs were just one stroke behind the tournament leader and 13 strokes ahead of the third place team after Monday to give them a cushion going into the final round on Tuesday.

"I am really proud of these ladies for another top finish this week," said head coach Emily Loftin. "We definitely had some struggles today but we had separated ourselves in the field enough to be able to take a runner-up finish. I am really excited for these ladies and happy to see the hard work pay off for them. It is always exciting to see players inside the top 15, and I am certainly proud of Harriet [Lynch]. She finished solo in third place for her best finish of her career. It is always great to see young players play with resilience and grit. We are looking forward to the small break here before we head to Arizona."

The Bulldogs were led by sophomore Harriet Lynch who sat towards the top of the player leaderboards throughout the course of the tournament. Lynch finished alone in third place with a 2-under-par 214 (73-69-72). The sophomore Bulldog secured the best finish of her career on Tuesday. Lynch was just one stroke shy of tying her career-low tournament score. Lynch placed third behind two Georgia golfers, and was five strokes back of the lead. As a team, Georgia won The Gold Rush with a 1-under-par 863. Georgia was the second-highest ranked team in the tournament, checking in at No. 38 in the latest Golfstat rankings.

Senior Kristin Simonsen broke her way into a top 10 finish with a season-best T10th outing. Simonsen tied her season-low with a 5-over-par 221 (73-72-76) at The Gold Rush. This is the Bulldog's first appearance in the top 10 since she tied for sixth at the 2018 Johnie Imes Invitational.

Junior Brigitte Thibault saw her top 10 finisher run come to an end on Tuesday as she finished The Gold Rush in 14th place with a 6-over-par 222 (70-75-77). Out of the 74-golfer field, Thibault made a top 15 appearance with seven Birdies, the second-most from the Bulldogs in the tournament.

Freshman Jinyoung Yun finished T29th with a 13-over 229 (75-76-78). Yun tied for the tournament lead with two Eagles, one in each of the first two rounds. Yun has now shot three Eagles in her short Bulldog career and is tied for first in the program for number of Eagles in a single season.

Sophomore Jessica Hall ended the tournament with a 19-over-par 235 (75-81-79) to finish T49th.

Fresno State earned an additional piece of hardware as three members of the Fresno State women's golf team participated at The Prospector, an individuals only event hosted by Long Beach State, at the El Dorado Golf Course on Monday and Tuesday. The tournament wrapped up on Tuesday afternoon and Bulldog sophomore Delana Basanisi won the event with a 6-over-par 222 (72-77-73).

"I am also very proud of Delana [Basanisi] for taking the victory at The Prospector" said Loftin. "She has been putting in a lot of time and effort, and really advancing her game. It is exciting to see her move forward and put up big scores on the leaderboard. I am really excited for her future."

Basanisi had the best finish of her career at the tournament and had the lowest three round total in her career as a Bulldog. Basanisi also had a career-low round in the first round of The Prospector as she fired an even par 72. The Bulldog finished three strokes ahead of the second place finisher.

Senior Danielle Richman finished tied for fifth with an 18-over-par 234 (81-73-80) and fellow classmate Dominika Gradecka placed eighth with a 22-over-par 238 (81-80-77).

Up Next - The Bulldogs head to Tucson, Ariz. for the Wildcat Invitational at the Sewailo Golf Club on Mar. 9-10.

Tournament Notes

Fresno State has earned back-to-back runner-up finishes this spring. The Bulldogs have earned top 10 finishes in every tournament this season.
Fresno State continues its run of having at least one player finish in the top 10 in each tournament.
Jinyoung Yun tied the program record for most Eagles in a single season (3) and is tied for fourth for most career Eagles.
Brigitte Thibault tied the program record for most career par or better rounds with her 70 in the first round of The Gold Rush. The junior now has 32 par or better rounds.
Harriet Lynch secured her sixth career top 10 finish.
Lynch led the field in par 4 scoring and had 11 Birdies at The Gold Rush. She shot her second career round in the 60's in the second round on Monday.

The Gold Rush
Dates: Feb. 24-25, 2020
Rounds Final Results
Par: 72; 6,169 yards

Team Leaderboard
1. Georgia: 287-295-281=863 (-1)
2. Fresno State: 291-292-303=886 (+22)
3. Long Beach State: 299-297-299=895 (+31)
T4. Charlotte: 302-29-299=898 (+34)
T4. BYU: 303-297-298=898 (+34)
6. Sacramento State: 297-302-302=301 (+37)
7. Minnesota: 296-309-297=902 (+38)
8. New Mexico State: 307-300-296=903 (+39)
9. Idaho: 303-309-309=921 (+57)
10. Wyoming: 322-300-312=934 (+70)
11. UC Irvine: 307-309-319=935 (+71)
12. Santa Clara: 312-307-319=938 (+74)
13. Boston College: 313-313-321=947 (+83)
14. Long Beach State B: 249-250-235=734 (+86)
15. Santa Clara B: 334-337-337=1008 (+144)

Fresno State Leaderboard
3. Harriet Lynch: 73-69-72=214 (-2)
T10. Kristin Simonsen: 73-72-76=221 (+5)
14. Brigitte Thibault: 70-75-77=222 (+6)
T29. Jinyoung Yun: 75-76-78=229 (+13)
T49. Jessica Hall: 75-81-79=235 (+19)

The Prospector
Dates: Feb. 24-25, 2020
Rounds Final Results
Par: 72; 6,189 yards

Fresno State Leaderboard
1. Delana Basanisi: 72-77-73=222 (+6)
T5. Danielle Richman: 81-73-80=234 (+18)
8. Dominika Gradecka: 81-80-77=238 (+22)

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'Dogs take second at Gold Rush, Basanisi wins Prospector

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Players Mentioned

Delana Basanisi

Dominika Gradecka

Jessica Hall

Harriet Lynch

Danielle Richman

Kristin Simonsen

Brigitte Thibault

Jinyoung Yun

Fresno State Athletics