Eastern set to face seven top 50 teams in Austin Monday-Tuesday

AUSTIN, Texas (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University women's golf team returns to the course Monday-Tuesday, March 17-18, when the Eagles travel to Austin, Texas, to compete against a stacked field at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational. The two-day, 54-hole event will be played on the par-72, 6,473-yard University of Texas Golf Course and will feature 14 teams, seven of which are ranked in the national 50, including No. 2 University of Arkansas and No. 7 and host Texas.
 
QUOTING BREWER
"We know it has been a busy stretch for us; however, when we reach our goal of playing in the (NCAA) National Championship, this will feel like a normal postseason stretch," Head Coach Josh Brewer said. "We are headed to Austin to continue building our brand and creating a new normal. The field is challenging but we look forward to showing college golf that we are a program they must respect."

CHIP INS
» Savannah de Bock was named the MAC Golfer of the Week, March 14, marking the third time she has earned the award this year. EMU made it back-to-back recipients after Riley Kim earned the accolade March 7.
» From Feb. 24 through March 8, a span of 13 days, the Eagles played in three tournaments in three states, including the Daniel Island Invitational (Feb. 24-25) in Daniel Island, S.C., the River Landing Classic (March 3-4) in Wallace, N.C., and the Gators Invitational (March 7-8) in Gainesville, Fla.
» Over the span of three tournaments, the Eagles played against nine teams ranked in the top 50 and four more in the top 100. With their performance in Florida, EMU finished ahead of three ranked teams, including No. 58 Michigan, No. 81 Mercer, and No. 90 Charlotte.
» Caterina Don, the Eagles' assistant coach, received an invitation to play in the 2025 Augusta National Women's Amateur, April 2-5, at Augusta National, the home of The Master's. Don will compete in the event for the second time with Josh Brewer serving as her caddy in the event.
» Savannah de Bock captured medalist honors at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic, Sept. 23-25, as she carded a 12-under, 204 to win by three strokes. It marked her first collegiate victory and the first for Eastern in two years.
» Savannah de Bock finished 12-of-15 rounds played in the fall under par, which was most of any player in the nation among all collegiate divisions. Two players tied for second at 10.
» Savannah de Bock has been named to the 2024 ANNIKA Award Fall Watch List. One of 25 players selected nationally, de Bock is on the short list for the award that is considered the Heisman of women's collegiate golf.
» The current roster is comprised of seven players, six of whom are new to the program this year. Riley Kim is the lone returning player and is joined by two transfers and three freshmen.
» The coaching staff is also new in 2024 as Josh Brewer takes over in Ypsilanti following 12 years at Georgia. Brewer has added two assistants to his staff, including Caterina Don, who was one of his top players at Georgia, and Anna Watson, a four-year member of the Eastern program, both of whom graduated in 2024.
 TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
The Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational is named after Elizabeth 'Betsy' Rawls, who played at the University of Texas before embarking on a successful career in the LPGA where she captured 58 professional wins, including eight major championships, including four U.S. Women's Open titles. The 54-hole event will be played on the par-72, 6,473-yard University of Texas Golf Course in Austin, Texas, with the first two rounds played Monday, March 17, and the third round Tuesday, March 18. The 14 teams and individuals will begin the first round at 9:30 a.m. ET with a shotgun start and play the second round immediately afterward with a 9:15 a.m. ET start scheduled for the final round.
 
IN THE RANKINGS · TEAMS
According to the March 12 release of the national rankings by Scoreboard/Clippd, 13-of-14 teams in the field in Austin are ranked in the top 125, including the Eagles, who come in at a season-high No. 124. The field features 11 teams in the top 100, seven in the top 50, four in the top 20, and two in the top 10, including No. 2 Arkansas and No. 7 and host Texas. The remaining top 125 teams in the field including No. 13 LSU, No. 16 TCU, No. 33 UNLV, No. 34 Oklahoma, No. 40 Tennessee, No. 52 Louisville, No. 60 North Texas, No. 67 Colorado, No. 99 New Mexico, and No. 108 Texas State. Howard is also set to play in the event and is currently ranked No. 152.
 IN THE RANKINGS · INDIVIDUAL
The individual rankings are equally as impressive as 21 of the top 150 players in the Scoreboard/Clippd rankings could appear in the event, including 15 in the top 100, eight in the top 50, and six in the top 10. Arkansas, who boasts half of the players ranked in the top 50, leads the way with No. 3 Maria Jose Marin, No. 12 Kendall Todd, No. 19 Reagan Zibilsko, and No. 44 Clarisa Temelo while the remaining top 50 players include Texas' No. 13 Farrah O'Keefe, No. 17 Lauren Kim, and No. 47 Cindy Hsu, and No. 18 Rocio Tejedo of LSU. Savannah de Bock, after spending one week outside the top 100, is back this week at No. 93 and is one of the seven individuals in the top 100 that includes No. 54 Toa Yokoyama and No. 92 Mayumi Umezu of UNLV; No. 62 Aine Donegan of LSU; and No. 64 Camille Min-Gaultier, No. 80 Kirstin Angosta, and No. 94 Sofia Barroso Sa of TCU.
 
NOTING THE GATORS INVITATIONAL • INDIVIDUAL
» Savannah de Bock got back to her low-scoring ways as her 1-under 209 (69-71-69) ranks as the second-best score in program history behind the 204 she shot at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic (Sept. 23-25) this fall. With her score, she now holds the program's No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 (tie), No. 6, and No. 8 (tie) scores.
» Savannah de Bock carded two rounds of 69 in Florida, marking the second and third time she has done that this season, tying for the 13th-lowest rounds in program history. She used those low rounds to not only help her to her sixth top 10 finish of the season but also place ahead of No. 25 Caitlyn Macnab (Ole Miss), the highest ranked player in the field, after the Rebel tied for 13th.

NOTING THE GATORS INVITATIONAL • TEAM
» The Eagles entered the tournament ranked No. 136 in the Scoreboard/Clippd rankings with only one team in the field (No. 168 Florida Atlantic) ranked behind EMU. In the final standings, the Eagles finished ahead of seven teams ranked higher, including three in the top 100 in No. 58 Michigan (eighth), No. 81 Mercer (12th), and No. 90 Charlotte (seventh).
» The 871 total strokes are a school record, bettering the 879 (300-290-289) recorded at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational (Oct. 21-23) earlier this season. Additionally, the 871 marks only the second time EMU has shot 879 or better as the previous school record was 880 (301-293-286) at the 2015 Cardinal Classic.
» Eastern posted three rounds that rank highly in program history with their first-round 289 tying for the fourth-lowest while the third-round 290 and second-round 292 rank tied for sixth and tied for 14th, respectively.