Rogers, Ark. - The Nebraska women's golf team shot a final-round 306 and moved up one spot to finish in third place at the nine-team Embassy Suites/Tyson Invitational in Rogers, Ark., on Tuesday.
The Huskers concluded the three-day tournament with a 920 total, finishing 22 strokes behind the team champions and hosts from Arkansas. The Lady Razorbacks finished at 898 on the 6,102-yard, par-71 Pinnacle Country Club course. Arkansas edged second-place Mississippi by seven strokes with the Lady Rebels finishing at 905.
The Huskers started the final round in fourth place, three strokes behind Big 12 Conference rival Texas A&M, but the Aggies finished with a 312 in the third round to fall three strokes back of the Huskers with a 923.
Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said she was happy with the Huskers' performance.
"Overall I'm pleased with the way we golfed," Krapfl said. "We only got beat by one team in our region, and we shot some pretty good scores on a pretty tough golf course, especially with the changes they made to the course on Tuesday. If we can shoot these kinds of scores on that course, we are pretty excited about what we can do on our home course next week."
Four Huskers finished among the top 20 individually at the tournament, led by true freshman Christine McArdle, sophomore Jackie Beste and junior Merynn Ito, who finished in a three-way tie for 13th place. Senior captain Stephanie Schaefer added a 17th-place performance, after she and Ito fired final-round 75s to lead the Huskers on Tuesday. Beste added a final-round 77, while McArdle finished with a 79.
Junior Sara Sackett, who golfed as an individual in the tournament, finished in a tie for 37th after shooting 83 on Tuesday, while junior Stephanie Ruiz added an 80 to finish in a tie for 43rd as an individual. Redshirt freshman Andrea Dunagan added an 83 to finish in a tie for 43rd as Nebraska's fifth team golfer. Junior Beth Anne Cherry finished in a tie for 50th as an individual with an 88.
Nebraska returns to action by playing host to the Chip-N Club Invitational Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 15-16, at Wilderness Ridge Golf Course. The 11-team tournament field will include Big 12 foes Kansas State and Iowa State, along with Creighton, Wichita State and Illinois State from the Missouri Valley Conference.
Embassy Suites/Tyson Invitational
Pinnacle Country Club (6,102 yards/par 71)
Rogers, Ark. (Final Results)
Host: University of Arkansas
Team Scores (1st-2nd-3rd--Total)
1. Arkansas (291-304-303--898)
2. Mississippi (308-290-307--905)
3. Nebraska (311-303-306--920)
4. Texas A&M (310-301-312---923)
5. Oral Roberts (313-309-316--938)
6. Southern Miss (313-315-319--947)
6. Iowa State (317-314-316--947)
8. Augusta State (316-327-340--983)
9. Wichita State (340-335-333--1,008)
Nebraska Individuals (1st-2nd--Total)
T13. Christine McArdle (76-76-79--231)
T13. Jackie Beste (78-76-77--231)
T13. Merynn Ito (79-77-75--231)
T17. Stephanie Schaefer (78-80-75--233)
T43. Andrea Dunagan (90-74-83--247)
T37. Sara Sackett (79-79-83--241)*
T41. Stephanie Ruiz (86-79-80--245)*
T50. Beth Anne Cherry (82-84-88--254)*
*golfing as individuals