Star Iowa State female golfer slain; man charged with murder

Former Iowa State golfer Celia Barquin Arozamena, the 2018 Big 12 individual champion, was found dead Monday at an Ames, Iowa, golf course and a 22-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder, police say (via the Des Moines Register).

The Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year, Barquin Arozamena, 22, was found dead at the Coldwater Links golf course, and authorities say the civil engineering student from Puente San Miguel, Spain, had been assaulted before she died.

Collin Daniel Richards, 22, was charged with first-degree murder, Ames police said late Monday night.

"A terrible, tragic, senseless loss," university president Wendy Wintersteen said in a statement.

Barquin Arozamena, who finished her senior season in 2017-18, was described as one of the most accomplished players in Iowa State golf history. Her three-shot victory at the 2018 Big 12 Championship made her only the second Cyclones golfer to earn medalist honors at a conference tournament.

Ranked No. 69 nationally by Golfweek, Barquin Arozamena made four consecutive appearances at the NCAA Regionals and in 2018 earned All-Big 12 honors for the third time.

Ames police had offered few details about her death earlier Monday, but Richards was booked early Tuesday morning into the Story County Jail, where he is being held without bond.