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The University of Hawai'i women's golf team will begin its spring season at the Peg Barnard Invitational Saturday Feb. 18 and Sunday Feb. 19 in Stanford, Calif.

 

Competing alongside UH in the 12-team tournament are California, Fresno State, Furman, Oregon State, Portland State, Rollins College, San Francisco, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Stanford, and Washington. Participants will play a total of 36 holes, 18 on each day, at the par-71, 6,100 yard Stanford Golf Course.

Leading the Rainbow Wahine will be junior Ka'ili Britos who had two top-20 finishes during fall play including a season best, seventh place tie, at the Circling Raven Collegiate Invitational.  Britos last competed in the Peg Barnard as a freshman and finished in a tie for 27th place.

Also competing Hawai'i will be sophomores Madeleine Ystrom and Liana Otake, and seniors Erka Lundberg and Megan Inouye.

Following the Peg Barnard Invite, the Rainbow Wahine will travel to San Jose to play in the Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational March 5-6. The team will then come home to host the 27th annual Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational March 13 and 14 at the Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course, and will conclude the regular season by hosting the inaugural Anuenue Spring Break Classic March 26 and 27 at The Bay Course in Kapalua, Maui.

 

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The University of Hawai'i women's golf team completed its fall season Nov. 2, with the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, at the Kapolei Golf Course. Hawai'i played a total of four tournaments for the season, beginning with the Circling Raven Collegiate Invitational Sept. 12, in Worley, Idaho.
 
The Rainbow Wahine struggled for the first two rounds with scores of 322 and 323 but turned it around late with a final round 305 finishing them in 15th place. Junior Ka'ili Britos led UH and claimed the team's first and only top ten finish of the season after finishing in a tie for seventh place at 10-over par (74-78-76=228).
 
Also competing in the Circling Raven Invite were senior Erika Lundberg (80-80-77=237/t47th), junior Brigitte Baker (83-81-80=244/t82nd), sophomore Madeleine Ystrom (85-84-76=245/t97th) and sophomore Liana Otake (90-91-76=257/t109th).
 
Next, the Rainbow Wahine made its way to Aurora, Ore. to compete in the Rose City Collegiate. UH finished in 10th place (311-321-314=946) and was led by Britos for the second consecutive tournament. Britos finished in a tie for 22nd place (74-81-77=232).   
 
Rounding out the team were Lundberg (77-78-81=236/t28th) and Ystrom (81-80-81=242/t44th), along with sophomore Charlee Kapiioho (79-91-75=245/t53rd) and Baker (82-82-94=258/t74th).
 
Hawai'i then traveled to Las Cruces, N.M. to compete in the Price's Give 'Em Five Invitational where they were forced to withdraw as Lunberg and Otake weren't able to finish. Lundberg became ill after round one and wasn't able to compete in rounds two and three. Otake competed in the first two rounds but was forced to withdraw after injuring her wrist on the 14th hole of the final round.
 
Britos led UH once again with a 43rd place finish which included a 3-under 69 third round, matching a career-low. Kapiioho (75-80-75=230/t49th), and Ystrom (81-73-78=232/55th) were the only golfers to complete all three rounds.
 
Finally, the team came home to host the Rainbow Wahine Invitational where they finished in 11th place. Britos led the Rainbow Wahine for the fourth time of the season, finishing in a tie for 16th place while carding a season best 7-over 223.
 
Kapiioho (83-79-81) and Otake (84-80-79) each finished in a tie for 55th place. Sophomore Anna DePalma (81-81-84=256/59^th) and senior Megan Inouye (80-82-86=248/60th) rounded out the rest of the team as they made their first and only starts of the season.
 
Competing as individuals were Baker (82-81-76=239/50th) and Lundberg (85-81-75=241/t52nd).
 
The spring season will begin for the Rainbow Wahine March 3, when they compete at the Peg Barnard hosted by Stanford.

HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i women's golf head coach Lori Castillo announced the signing of Nichole Cruz of Rancho Murieta, Calif., for the 2012-13 season.
 
Cruz is currently a senior at Christian Brothers High School, where she recently led the team to the San-Joaquinn Section Masters golf championship after sharing medalist honors with a 72. The team also competed in the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California championships, where they finished third and Cruz tied for 14^th.
 
Just this week, she and the Falcons competed in the CIF State Championships, where she tied for eighth place with a 76.
 
“We're really excited Nichole will join our team next year,” Castillo said. “We feel she will be great team member and make an immediate impact on our program.”
 
During her freshman and sophomore seasons, Cruz attended St. Francis High School, where she was a member of consecutive Masters and NorCal championship teams.
 
Last year, she earned Delta River League all-star honors and was a finalist as Sacramento's Athlete of the Year. Cruz captured the California State Fair Junior Championships in both 2009 and 2010. She also qualified for the Big I National Championships.
 
Over the summer, Cruz was one of five individuals from The First Tee of Greater Sacramento selected to participate in The First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, Calif. Through The First Tee program, she was also one of 50 participants selected to attend the 2011 Future Leaders Forum at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.
Cruz is the only signee for the Rainbow Wahine during the fall signing period.