The South Dakota women's golf team is back in action at the Rio Verde Invitational this weekend. The Rio Verde Invitational is a three-day event beginning on Friday and ending Sunday afternoon. The event will be held at the Rio Verde Country Club on Quail Run Course. The course plays as a par 72 and covers 6,201 yards.
 
Each day of the event will begin with shotgun starts. Friday starts at 12:30 p.m., Saturday begins at 9:30 a.m., and Sunday is at 8:30 a.m. All times are listed in mountain time. The lineup for South Dakota will stay the same for the second tournament of the spring season. Akari Hayashi leads the team followed by Danica Badura, Catie Nekola, Emma Henningsson, and Molly Fossen.
 
The Coyotes opened the spring season at the Tulane Classic in New Orleans. The team finished the event in 16th place with a 952 overall score. Hayashi finished the highest for USD with a tie for 49th place overall. She scored rounds of 77, 79, and 80 at the event.
 
At last season's Rio Verde Invite, South Dakota broke two records during the event. In round two, the team shot six-over par which is a record for the lowest round relative to par in team history. In the final round, the Coyotes completed the event with a 904 54-hole score. At the time, that was the lowest three-round score in team history. That record was broken again at the Stampede at the Creek at the end of the 2021-22 season. The score of 894 still stands as the lowest 54-hole score in program history. Hayashi claimed a 15th place finish at the Rio Verde Invite last season.
 
Tournament: Rio Verde Invitational
Dates: February 24-26
Host: Western Michigan
Location: Rio Verde, Arizona
Course: Rio Verde Country Club – Quail Run Course
Course Par / Yardage: Par 72 / 6,201 yards
Tournament Field (18):  Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Bradley, Butler, Cal-Baptist, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Illinois State, Kennesaw State, Loyola-Chicago, Missouri State, Oakland, Ohio, South Dakota, Wichita State, Western Michigan, Xavier