Wyoming women’s golf earns first postseason berth in program history
Wyoming women’s golf is headed to its first postseason after a record spring led by Kiley Reisner and a Mountain West finish that nearly reached third.
A fourth-place finish in the Mountain West turned into something bigger for Wyoming women’s golf: the Cowgirls earned the first postseason berth in program history and will play in the Women’s National Golf Invitational.
Wyoming accepted the bid on May 1, sending the Cowgirls to a 10-team, 54-hole stroke-play tournament May 15-17 at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Arizona. The field also includes Bowling Green State, Bradley, Coastal Carolina, Denver, Lipscomb, Mercer, Missouri State, Rutgers and Stetson. The Cowgirls already know the course, having played there earlier this season in the Cowgirl Classic, a detail that could matter in a tournament where every stroke counts.
Head coach Josey Stender said postseason play was a goal from the beginning of the season, and the program’s rise has matched that expectation. “I’m just so very proud of this group and the program as a whole,” Stender said. She and assistant coach Blake Isakson believed the roster had the pieces to reach this level, and the season has backed up that confidence.
Freshman Kiley Reisner has been at the center of the breakthrough. At the Cowgirl Classic, she shot a program-record 207, 9 under par, over 54 holes, breaking Elle Higgins’ previous mark of 209. Reisner won the Thunderbird Classic and the Bobcat Desert Classic this spring, became the first Cowgirl in 26 years to earn Mountain West player of the week honors and collected freshman of the week honors twice. She carried that form into the Mountain West Championships, where she finished second individually at 3 under par, behind Boise State’s Leia Chung, who won at 5 under.
Senior Meghan Vogt also helped close the season with a strong result. She tied for 14th at the conference championship with a 54-hole total of 6 over par, after rounds of 73 and 73 among her scoring. Together, Reisner and Vogt helped Wyoming post an 885, 21 over par, at the Mountain West Championships, good for fourth place and just one stroke behind third-place Grand Canyon.
That finish matched Wyoming’s highest result in Mountain West history under the current 10-team format, and the Cowgirls were also fourth in 2000 when the event included only five teams. Now, with a first postseason trip secured, the program has a new benchmark to carry into Maricopa, and a clearer sign that its climb is no longer just a promising start.
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