Botero Molina Wins MIAA Title; Lopers Await NCAA Fate

KEARNEY, Neb. (Press Release) – Junior Juliana Botero Molina shot a 7-over 223 to win the 2024 MIAA Championships Wednesday in Bolivar, Mo.

The three-day, 54-hole tournament was held at the par 72 Shilo Ridge C.C. (5,864 yards).

UNK carded the program’s sixth lowest round (295) on Tuesday to get back into the team race but turned in a 313 today to finish with a 928. While that’s the best 54-hole tally the Lopers have ever carded at the MIAA Championships, it was good for sixth in a field of 11. Central Missouri won (907) with Rogers State the runner up (916).

The Blue & Gold came into the tourney ranked 11th in the Central Region with the top nine teams advancing to NCAA Regionals in two weeks. That field will be announced Monday (April 29) with UNK hoping to make the cut for a third straight year.

However, Botero Molina (Colombia) should be headed to Bartlesville, Okla., as an individual qualifier at least after having rounds of 78, 71 and 74 to hold off three challengers to earn medalist honors. She was 2-under on the front nine today thanks to three birdies and five pars. While she had four bogeys on back nine, Maya McVey of UCM couldn’t catch her. She was a stroke behind Botero Molina heading to the par 5 18th hole. Both bogeyed the hole with Botero Molina having three pars on holes 15-17 and McVey birding the par 3 17th hole.

For the tournament, Botero Molina had 31 pars and eight birdies with her final tally thing for the second best 54-hole score in Loper lore. Finally, her season stroke average is now 76.19, just ahead of the school-record (77.04) set by Faviola Gonzalez in 2021-22.

Next, Kansas senior Allison Comer tied for 14th (231/77-75-79), Kansas freshman Liz Lyons tied for 27th (235/83-73-79), Kansas sophomore Beth Grant tied for 34th (242/82-79-81) and Kansas senior Brooke King was 39th (251/90-76-85). On Tuesday, Comer and King had their best rounds of the spring with Lyons tying her season-best effort and Grant having her fourth sub-80 round this spring.

Loper Season Stroke Leaders (Minimum 10 rounds)

1. Botero Molina (76.19/21 rounds)

2. Comer (78.00/21 rounds)

3. Lyons (78.81/21 rounds)

4. King (81.29/21 rounds)

5. Grant (81.88/17 rounds)

6. Sofia Wildeman (82.38/13 rounds)

7. Sophia Coleman (83.64/11 rounds)

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