There was’t anything special about that day in late September 2019.

Allysha Mae Mateo hadn’t played particularly well the week before. The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course in Idaho was one she enjoys, but there was nothing overly special about it.

She’d finished in the top 10 only once in her first 11 collegiate tournaments, but in her mind she felt there was something special about to happen.

“I just remember being on the putting green at the beginning of the first day knowing that this was my tournament to win,” the 2018 Maryknoll alumna said in a Zoom interview Tuesday. “If I was going to win a tournament this semester, this was going to be the one.”

Mateo followed a 74 in the second round with a team-low 3-under 68 to win medalist honors by three strokes at the Coeur d’Alene Collegiate.

It was the first of two individual titles and 14 top-five finishes in her five-year BYU career that is down to its final few tournaments.

The 2021 West Coast Conference Player of the Year leaves Thursday for Maui, where she will play for the final time back home in a Cougars uniform at the Anuenue Spring Back Classic in Kaanapali.

“Coach kind of wanted us seniors to be able to play at home in our last year, so it’s really nice to be able to go home and play in Hawaii again,” Mateo said. “Very excited to get back to the warmth because it’s been cold up here.”

Mateo has once again put herself in Player of the Year contention with another stellar season. In eight events, Mateo has three top-five finishes and one victory in the 2022 Miami Hurricane Invitational to end the fall season in October.

She’s 6 under par in her past five events with four top-six finishes, and her season scoring average of 72.65 is a career low.

“I think I’ve definitely accomplished more than I thought I could. Just the biggest thing for me was building that belief,” Mateo said. “As a freshman you’re just kind of settling in and learning how to play collegiate golf because it’s different. You’re on a team and the pressure is a little bit more.”

Mateo committed to BYU out of high school with help from friends Rose Huang and Spencer Dunaway, who were already on the BYU women’s and men’s golf teams.

After winning her first title in her second tournament as a sophomore, Mateo helped the Cougars win the team title at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational in Washington state two weeks later.

BYU had finished worse than fourth only once all season when the team competed in its own tournament it hosted in St. George, Utah.

Mateo finished tied for third at 2-over 218 to help BYU place third. A conference championship and NCAA regional berth were realistic possibilities.

Instead, Mateo found herself on a flight home a week later.

“We were at our home tournament down at Entrada (Golf Course) and I remember being at the buffet line and a girl was talking about how someone at her school got COVID and we were like, ‘What? That’s crazy.’” Mateo said. “A couple days after we were in our religion class with me and a couple of my teammates and we got the email saying for everybody to go home, school is online the rest of the year, so it was definitely quite a shock. We were really disappointing because I think we were on track to go to regionals that year.”

Mateo returned to campus for her junior year when she was accepted into a challenging accounting program. Between that and all of the COVID-19 protocols and golf, Mateo somehow managed to win conference Player of the Year honors.

“I remember after our conference championships, it was a tough memory to relive, but the day after my coach told me I was going to be Player of the Year and honestly it was kind of hard to be happy about it considering how I played a couple of days before,” said Mateo, who tied for fourth at the WCC Championships after closing with an 11-over 83 to finish 8 over. “But it was still really nice. I think it was a good accomplishment.”

The first memories that come to mind when she reflects on her career at BYU are the moments she shared with teammates.

Golf has allowed Mateo to pay for her education with an athletic scholarship. Her time at BYU has given her the opportunities to travel to places she never imagined she’d go.

“I was able to play in New Zealand. I’ve played Pebble Beach two times. Playing these amazing courses is definitely something I would not have been able to do if I didn’t play on this team,” Mateo said. “Being able to pay for my school is really awesome, and I’m just appreciative of everything BYU has done for me.”

Allysha Mae Mateo

School: BYU

Class: Senior

Height: 5-foot-2

High school: Maryknoll (2018)

Lowest 18-hole score: 67 (3x)

Lowest 54-hole score: 209, 7-under (2x)

Best finish: 1st (2019 Coeur d’Alene Collegiate, 2022 Miami Hurricane Invitational)

Awards: 2021 WCC Player of the Year; Two-time All-WCC first team; Three-time All-WCC Academic first team