ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) -- Freshman Elizabeth Moon and junior Maria Balcazar led the way for the Knights at the UCF Challenge, which came to a close Tuesday afternoon at Eagle Creek Golf Club.
Moon finished ninth with a three-round total of 210 (-6). She was one of nine golfers in the 98-person field who were under par in all three rounds. She was 5-under par on the Par 5 holes for the tournament. Moon finished five strokes off the pace of tournament medalist Anna Backman (Miami), who was -11. Balcazar was just two strokes behind Moon, finishing in a tie for 12th place at -4. She was the top player in the tournament on Par 3 holes, going -4 over the course of the three days.
Vanderbilt, which came in No. 6 in the nation, won the team title at -23. UCF was 11th at -2 in the 16-team field. The Knights defeated three teams that were ranked in the Golfstat Top 50 entering the tournament.
Senior Anna Hack and sophomore Chinatsu Kobayashi both represented UCF as individuals in the UCF Challenge. They were the among the next three best finishers for the Knights. Kobayashi was tied for 26th at even par, while Hack was tied for 42nd at +2. Freshman Alyssa Lamoureux was also tied for 42nd at 2-over.
Ana Laura Collado (T-68th, +6), Nicolette Donovan (T-84th, +12) and Rachel Silverman (97th, +26) rounded out the UCF lineup.
The Knights are back in action again Feb. 18-19 at the Moon Golf Invitational in Melbourne, Fla.