TUCSON, Ariz. -- Midwestern State competes in its ninth tournament of the season Monday and Tuesday at the West Texas A&M Desert Invitational at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon.

LAST TIME OUT | Freshman Tristan Gabbard recorded her second Top 10 individual finish firing scores of 76, 72, and 73 to take sixth with an 8-over 221 leading Midwestern State to a fourth-place showing in a field of eight at the King-Alfred Invitational. Senior Beatrice Perucchini (77-76-71) and freshman Hollie James (74-71-79) tied for ninth with matching 11-over totals of 224.

THE FIELD IN GOLFSTAT RANKINGS | The 20-team field features 11 teams ranked in the top 50 of the GolfStat NCAA Division II national team rankings. West Texas A&M carries the top ranking at No. 8 followed by Point Loma (13), Cal State East Bay (17), Cal State Monterey Bay (19), Arkansas-Fort Smith (24), St. Mary's (36), Midwestern State (38), Colorado Christian (40), Biola (42), Angelo State (43), and Colorado State-Pueblo (48). The remainder of the field all land inside the top 100 including UT Permian Basin (58), Wayne State (Mich.) (62), MSU Denver (77), Southwestern Oklahoma (79), Hawaii Pacific (80), Academy of Art (81), UC Colorado Springs (88), Hawaii-Hilo (90), and Texas A&M-Kingsville (99).

MUSTANGS IN THE WEST TEXAS A&M DESERT INVITATIONAL | Midwestern State makes its sixth appearance in the West Texas A&M Desert Invitational. The Mustangs enjoyed their best finish by taking fifth in the 17-team field in 2021. Juanita Gomez (76-78) and Beatrice Perucchini (78-76) tied for ninth individually to lead the Mustangs. Perucchini led the Mustangs once more in 2022 firing scores of 80 and 75 to tie for 20th. Gomez owns the best individual round for MSU carding a 74 in the second round in 2018, then matching it a year later -- also in the second round.

MIDWESTERN STATE LINEUP

NO. 1 BAG | Tristan Gabbard was named as a player to watch by the Lone Star Conference following a stellar fall campaign. The freshman from Fulshear won her collegiate debut at The Swan Memorial and has finished in the Top 20 in five of seven tournaments. Gabbard, who is ranked 68th in NCAA Division II by GolfStat, owns a season stroke average of 75.26. She has posted five par-or-better scores over 23 rounds and boasts a 77.2 finish percentage. Gabbard is coming off of her second Top 10 individual finish of the season, taking sixth at UT Tyler's King-Alfred Invitational.

NO. 2 BAG | Sophomore Hollie James draws her first start of the season on the No. 2 bag. The sophomore from Rockwall is coming off of a ninth-place finish playing as an individual only at the King-Alfred Invitational carding scores of 74, 71, and 79 which including her first collegiate ace. James also enjoyed individual finishes of T-26 at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate and T-24 at the Midwestern State Invitational. She boasts a season stroke average of 77.5 in eight competition rounds.

NO. 3 BAG | Freshman Kodi Nolen recorded her third Top 25 finish working her way to a tie for 17th last week at the King-Alfred Invitational carding scores of 79, 74, and 75. The Midlothian native opened the fall campaign by tying for 10th at The Swan Memorial for her best individual finish of the season. Nolen owns a stroke average of 78.78 through 23 tournament rounds.

NO. 4 BAG | Sophomore Makenna Henry has strung together three consecutive Top 20 individual showings following a season-best 11th at the St. Mary's Rattler Invitational with consecutive T-19 finishes at the Midwestern State Invitational and King-Alfred Invitational. Henry sports a 76.60 stroke average through 20 rounds and carries a GolfStat Division II ranking of 156th.

NO. 5 BAG | Freshman Alli Reily finished in the Top 25 in each of her last two tournaments. She placed a season-best 13th at the St. Mary's Invitational with scores of 77, 79, and 76 then tied for 22nd at the King-Alfred Invitational. Reily possesses a season stroke average of 77.24.

INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST | Sophomore Brecklyn Flanagan delivered her second collegiate Top 10 finish by taking eighth at the St. Mary's Rattler Invitational carding scores of 77, 76, and 75 at the Dominion Country Club. She followed up by finishing in the top half at the Midwestern State Invitational finishing 22nd firing rounds of 79, 76, and 82. The Plano East Senior High graduate owns a stroke average of 78.10 through 20 tournament rounds this season.

UP NEXT | Midwestern State competes in the Lone Star Conference Championship from April 24-26 at WinStar Golf Club in Thackerville, Oklahoma.