Braxton Gregory
Sports Editor
On a brisk morning in Bozeman, Montana, the Idaho State women’s golf team turned in a performance that may have signaled the start of something new.
The Bengals broke the program’s 54-hole scoring record at the MSU Yellowstone Invitational, posting an 886 (22-over par) to shatter the previous mark by 15 strokes and finish sixth in a competitive 11-team field. For a team building its identity under head coach Todd Loveland, it was the kind of result that suggests the program is beginning to turn a corner.
“Playing well against our conference schools tells us we’re moving in the right direction,” Loveland said. “This was our first real test against our peers, and it’s encouraging to see where we stand.”
The breakthrough came just one week after a challenging start at the Utah Valley Wolverine Invitational. Since then, the Bengals have built momentum through consistent play and growing depth across the lineup.
At the Yellowstone Invitational, junior transfer Kaylie Parola and sophomore Andrea Chin led the charge, each carding under-par rounds that helped Idaho State separate from the pack. Every Bengal finished in the top 50, a reflection of how balanced the roster has become.
That depth has carried through the fall. Idaho State placed 11th at the EWU Kalispel Invitational and fourth at the UM Sun Mountain Invitational, then followed with another strong showing at the Big O Invitational in Omaha, Nebraska. There, the Bengals closed the opening day in second place behind host Omaha, led again by Chin, who finished the first 36 holes in fifth place at six-over.
Freshman Izzy Hassebrock joined her in the top 10 after firing a 74 in the afternoon, while Parola, Venus Yong, and Avery Bayer each contributed counting scores to keep Idaho State near the top of the leaderboard.
According to Golfstat, the Bengals have improved their team scoring average by nearly eight strokes per round compared with last season — a measurable sign of progress for one of the youngest teams in the Big Sky.
The roster includes no seniors and features players from across the globe, a result of Loveland’s broader recruiting approach. Since taking over the program in 2022, he has added international talent from Malaysia and Taiwan while leveraging the transfer portal to bring in experience from other programs.
The combination of new faces and growing confidence has produced one of Idaho State’s most competitive fall seasons in recent history. Across tournaments in Utah, Montana, Washington, and Nebraska, the Bengals have shown they can contend with both conference rivals and larger schools.
Now, the focus shifts to spring. Idaho State will return to competition at the Fresno State Classic on March 2–3, followed by the SUU Pizza Hut Invitational in St. George, Utah, and a trip to Bermuda for the Bermuda Triangle Collegiate on March 30–31. The Bengals will close the regular season in Goodyear, Arizona, before the Big Sky Championship begins April 20–22 in Litchfield Park, Arizona.
For a team that finished last in the conference just a season ago, the progress has been impossible to ignore.
“This group has bought in,” Loveland said. “Now we get to see how much higher we can go.”