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Iowa State women's golf team wins first tournament since death of former star player Celia Barquin Arozamena

The pain following the murder of former Iowa State women’s golf standout Celia Barquin Arozamena last September has been felt by all who knew or were close to the 22-year-old Spaniard. That includes her former Cyclone teammates, who continued to practice with the former Big 12 champion after she finished up her four years on the team last spring but remained in Ames, Iowa, to complete her degree and prepare for LPGA Q school.

Six months removed from Barquin Arozamena’s tragic death, coach Christie Martens’ squad enjoyed a day that would have made their former teammate smile on Sunday. That’s when Iowa State rallied from five strokes back at the the Mountain View Collegiate in Tucson to claim a 14-stroke victory over Texas State.

The Cyclones, ranked no. 43 nationally by Golfstat, didn’t just walk away with their first stroke-play victory since 2012, but did it in historic fashion. Their final-round 20-under 268 at The Preserve Golf Club was an 18-hole school record, and their 28-under 836 aggregate score broke their 54-hole mark. And for the first time in the program’s history, all five players broke par in a single round.

Sophomore Joy Chou shot a closing 64 (also a school record) to finish in second place individually. Chayanit Wangmahaporn (Sunday 70) and Amelia Grohn (68) also posted top-10 finishes with Taglao Jeeravivitaporn (71) and Alanna Campbell (66) rounding out the lineup.

"I am so proud of them," Martins said when reach via text on Monday. "They have shown such resilience and toughness. They want to play so well for each other and have worked so hard. They are a pleasure to coach and be around every day. They play every day for Celia, and we couldn't be prouder."

Iowa State plays in its final regular season tournament in two weeks at the Silverado Showdown in Napa, Calif., before playing in the Big 12 Conference Championship in mid-April. The team is hoping to qualify for NCAA Regionals for a 10th straight season.

"There's more to come," Martins said. "[I] can't wait to see where this group goes."