Gomez-Ruiz, Dukes Atop Leaderboards at Bill Berg Invite

HAYESVILLE, N.C. - Junior Laura Gomez-Ruiz and the James Madison women's golf team both sit atop the leaderboards after one round at the Bill Berg Invitational, hosted by Western Carolina at the par-72, 5,876-yard Ridges Country Club.

The Dukes matched their season's second-best round to-par on Sunday afternoon, firing a 10-over 298 to pace the 12-team field, leading second-place Western Carolina by a stroke and third-place East Carolina by two.

Gomez-Ruiz led the way, matching her career best with a 2-under 70 to close the week's opening round one stroke clear of the 66-player field. Western Carolina's Natalia Villavicencio sits in second at 1-under 71, with four players tied in third at 1-over 73.

Freshman Morgan Cox continued her solid play, carding a 3-over 75 on Sunday to end the round in a tie for 11th, while freshman Lauren Comegys sits just behind her in a tie for 16th at 4-over 76.

Junior Maddisen Cox closed out the JMU scoring with a 5-over 77 that puts her in a tie for 21st, while sophomore Katie Turk is tied for 60th after a round of 87.

Playing as individuals, junior Gabrielle Weiss (85) and freshman Joanna Keck (94) are in 57th and 66th, respectively, after one round.

QUOTING COACH SARGENT
"This was a good way to start our tournament and get some momentum going. We still have two days of work ahead of us, so we want to keep it going."

WINNING THE PAR-4S
Junior Laura Gomez-Ruiz and the Dukes earned their leads on the strength of their par-4 performance. Gomez-Ruiz played the 10 par-4's at 2-under, two strokes ahead of the nearest player, while JMU played them in 14-over as a team, four strokes clear of the second-place squad.

UP NEXT
As the leaders after one day, the Dukes will be the last team off the first tee in Monday morning's second round. JMU will start at 9:40 a.m., with live results available at BirdieFire.com.

Calendar

Players Mentioned

Lauren Comegys

Maddisen Cox

Morgan Cox

Laura Gomez-Ruiz

Joanna Keck

Katie Turk

Gabrielle Weiss

JMU Footer

Scoreboard

Calendar

Completed Event: Women's Golf versus Elon Invitational on September 15, 2025 , , t-1st of 13

Completed Event: Women's Golf versus Red Raider Invitational on September 23, 2025 , , t-7th of 15

Completed Event: Women's Golf versus Pirate Collegiate Classic on October 6, 2025 , , 4th of 15

Completed Event: Women's Golf versus Evie Odom Invitational on October 16, 2025 , , t-9th of 12

Completed Event: Women's Golf versus Great River Cup on February 16, 2026 , , 8th of 8

Completed Event: Women's Golf versus Daniel Island Invitational on March 2, 2026 , , t-7th of 15

Completed Event: Women's Golf versus Magnolia Collegiate on March 16, 2026 , , 7th of 14

Completed Event: Women's Golf versus Liz Murphey Collegiate on March 28, 2026 , , 8th of 16

Completed Event: Women's Golf versus Terps Invitational on April 5, 2026 , , 12th of 16

Upcoming Event: Women's Golf versus Sun Belt Conference Championship on April 20, 2026

James Madison University | Official Athletics Site