Sophomore Amber Chen broke through in a big way, earning her first career victory while leading the UNLV women’s golf team to a dominant team title at the Jackrabbit Invitational, hosted by South Dakota State at Boulder Creek Golf Club. Chen delivered a composed and consistent performance, tying her career-low tournament score at 9-under 207 for the second time this season. As a team, the Rebels controlled the event from start to finish, posting a 12-under 852 over 54 holes to win by an impressive 14 shots over the host Jackrabbits.
Chen set the tone at the top, but the Rebels’ depth was on full display throughout the lineup. Junior Zi Yu Foong continued her standout season with a runner-up finish, her fourth top-two result of the year, while freshman Demi Du turned in a season-best performance at 3-under to claim seventh. Freshman Lana Yamagata added a tie for 15th at 5-over, and junior Jane Huang rounded out the lineup in a tie for 43rd. Competing as an individual, sophomore Caitlin Shippam made a strong statement of her own, finishing fourth at 4-under 212 with a career-low 54-hole score.
The final round only reinforced UNLV’s dominance. Chen capped her victory with a second consecutive 4-under 68, while Du matched that number with her own season-low round. Foong added an even-par 72, maintaining steady play across all three rounds. Shippam also scored well, joining Chen and Du with a 4-under 68 to close out her tournament.
“I’m incredibly proud of the composure this group showed throughout the week. Bringing home both the team trophy and the individual title, along with a runner-up finish, is a testament to the high standards these athletes set for themselves every single day. Sweeping the top of the leaderboard shows the depth of our talent and the strength of our program’s culture. We’ve been working toward this level of consistency, and seeing that preparation translate into such a dominant performance is a huge momentum builder for the rest of our season.”- UNLV Head Coach, Amy Bush-Herzer