SMU WOMEN'S GOLF
Jim West Challenge
Kissing Tree Golf Club | San Marcos, Texas
Sunday Oct. 22 – Monday Oct. 23
LIVE RESULTS |  GAME NOTES
 
SETTING THE SCENE
The Mustangs take on the Jim West Challenge Oct. 22-23 hosted by Texas State at Kissing Tree Golf Club.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Mustangs make their return to the Jim West Challenge after competing in the tournament in 2022-23. Last season, the Mustangs took home second in San Marcos with a large seven spot improvement in the final round. Mackenzie Lee led the Mustangs by finishing in a share of fourth place. Ellie Szeryk finished in a tie for 11^th place. As a team, the Mustangs finished just two strokes back of champion, Oklahoma State.
 
THE FIELD
The 13-team field includes 11 teams ranked in the top 100 of the GolfWeek Rankings. Along with the Mustangs and hosts Texas State, the field includes Cal Poly, Houston. New Mexico. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Tulane, UNLV, UTSA and Washington State.
 
RETURNING MUSTANGS
The Mustangs return three starters, four total student-athletes from the 2022-23 squad that finished 11th in the nation. Mackenzie Lee enters her sophomore season. Lee broke the program record for lowest round with a -9 performance at the Icon Invitational. Ashley Chow returns for her senior season. She ranks sixth all-time at SMU with a career scoring average of 75.44. Ellie Szeryk's senior season represents her second season on the Hilltop. Szeryk set the SMU record for rounds in the 60s in a single season with nine in 2022-23. Nicole Vivier is entering her fourth season at SMU. She participated in three events last season as an independent.
 

 
ELLIE SZERYK
Szeryk leads the team with a 71.00 scoring average on the young season. She has shot par or better in five of six rounds. Last time out, Szeryk led the Mustangs with a share of ninth place finish, her seventh top 10 finish since starting at SMU in 2022-23. She began the new season with a 10^th-place finish at the Dick McGuire. She started the tournament with rounds of 69 and 71 to highlight her week. Szeryk finished the 2022-23 with the fourth best scoring average (72.53) in program history. Along the way, Szeryk carded nine rounds in the 60's, good for a new program record as she paced the Mustangs in that category. She shot par or better in 23 rounds with a best finish of second place. She started her Mustang career with a 17^th-place finish at the Dick McGuire. She would go on to take home runner up honors at The Ally, highlighted by a 69 (-3) in round one. Szeryk helped the Mustangs win their first tournament title as she finished in eighth at the Hurricane Invitational. In the spring at the Trinity Forest Invitational, Szeryk finished in third and followed that up with another top 10 at the Briar's Creek. She earned All-Conference honors with an eighth place finish at the AAC Championship as the Mustangs won the conference title.
 
MACKENZIE LEE
Mackenzie Lee is second on the team with a 72.17 scoring average this season. She has a low round of 68 and is tied for the team lead with two rounds in the 60s this season. Lee started her 2023-24 season with a eighth place showing at the Dick McGuire. She carded a 68 on the final day to move up 12 spots on the leaderboard into her ninth career top 10 finish. Lee finished second on the 2022-23 team with a scoring average of 71.78. She was honored as All-Conference by the AAC. Lee recorded eight top-10 finishes in 13 starts. She had her best showing of the season at the Hurricane Invitational where she finished in second place and set the SMU single-round scoring record with a nine-under score. The freshman recorded a third-place showing as she led the Mustangs to a co-victory at the NCAA Regional. Lee concluded the year with 23 rounds of par or better and seven rounds in the sixties.
 
ASHLEY CHOW
Ashley Chow has a 75.00 scoring average in the fall of 2023 campaign. Chow competed in each of the last 11 events during the Mustangs 2022-23 season, with SMU taking home top honors in over half of her appearances. She finished her season with a 74.18 scoring average across 34 rounds. She carded 10 rounds of par or better including three rounds in the 60's. She started her season with a 16^th-place finish at The Ally. In the spring, Chow finished in 10^th of 84 at the Trinity Forest Invitational as the Mustangs took home the team title. Chow carded her lowest round of the season with a 67 in round two. She recorded a top-25 showing at the Chattanooga Classic, the final event of the regular season. Chow finished in eighth at the AAC Championship with the Mustangs powering their way to a 14-stroke victory. She recorded another top-25 showing as the Mustangs advanced at the NCAA Regional.
 
NEW MUSTANGS
 SMU added two transfer athletes to their roster.

JUNE SONG
June Song comes from Iowa State where she competed for one season for the Cyclones. In her Mustang debut, Song finished in 66^th at the Dick McGuire. Song put together a 77.88 scoring average in 2021-22 as a freshman. She has spent time in the top 500 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
 
TESS DAVENPORT
Tess Davenport joins the Mustangs after four years at Vanderbilt. She is third on the team with a 74.17 scoring average. Last time out, she carded a 74 in the final round of the Illini Women's Invitational to finish in a tie for 45^th. In her first appearance as a Mustang, Davenport carded 73 in the final two rounds at the Dick McGuire Invite to finish in a tie for 50^th. While at Vanderbilt, Davenport had two top-20 finishes at the SEC Championship including 13th last season. She finished in 9th at the NCAA Franklin Regional in 2022.
 

NICOLE VIVIER
Nicole Vivier has represented the Mustangs as an independent in each event of the season. Vivier competed three times as an Independent for the Mustangs in 2022-23. Her best round came with a 73 at the Trinity Forest Invitational.

 
COACHES CORNER
Third-year head coach Lauren Mason has won seven tournament titles in her 2+ seasons on the Hilltop. The Mustangs had their best NCAA Championship finish since 1986 and won their first conference title since 1992 in 2022-23. Mason added Anna Dong to her staff as Assistant Coach. Dong is coming off a standout career as a student-athlete at Texas Tech
 
DOUBLE UP
The Mustangs won a school record six tournament titles last season doubling their previous record of three set back in 2000-01, 2003-04 and 2012-13. Included in the six titles, the Mustangs won five tournament titles in a row starting with a victory at The Trinity Forest Invitational and ending with a win at the NCAA San Antonio Regional.

UP NEXT
SMU wraps up its fall slate with a trip to North Carolina for the Landfall Tradition hosted by UNC-Wilmington From Country Club of Landfall's Pete Dye Course. The tournament runs Friday Oct. 27 through Sunday Oct. 29.
 
TOP 20 PRESEASON
The Mustangs came in ranked No. 20 in the preseason coaches poll published September 1. The ranking marks the strongest preseason ranking of the Lauren Mason era. The Mustangs are currently ranked No. 37 in the Golfweek Rankings.