Huskers in First and Second at Chip-N Club

Lincoln, Neb. - The Nebraska women's golf team showed its consistency and its depth by battling to a one-two finish after the first two rounds of the Chip-N Club Invitational at Wilderness Ridge Golf Course in Lincoln on Sunday.

The Nebraska Red Team, which consists of the Huskers' top five players, fired 306 in both the first and second rounds of the season to sit solidly in first place with a 612 team score through 36 holes.

The Nebraska White Team, which is made up of NU's next five golfers, stayed in contention with the Huskers' top unit by shooting rounds of 320 and 308 to sit firmly in second place with a 628, 16 strokes behind the Reds.

North Texas managed a two-round total of 637 in hot and windy conditions on the 5,933-yard layout.  North Texas is nine strokes behind the Nebraska White squad and 25 strokes behind the Nebraska Red unit.

Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said she was impressed by her whole team's performance on the first day of the two-day, 54-hole tournament that concludes on Monday.

"I am very pleased and excited about my team," Krapfl said.  "The conditions were very challenging out here today with the heat and the wind, but they stepped up to the challenge, especially in the second round."

Four Nebraska players finished among the top-five golfers through the first two rounds of the eight-team tournament, while six Huskers found themselves in the top eight.

Redshirt freshman Allison Stewart, playing in the No. 4 spot in NU's Red lineup, produced Nebraska's best performance of the day in the first collegiate tournament of her career.  Stewart shot rounds of 75 and 73 to finish with a four-over par 148 to put the Vermillion, S.D., native just two shots out of the lead.  Andra Lancaster from North Texas owned the top effort of the day with her two-over par 146 that included a tournament-low, even-par 72 in the second round, after shooting a 74 in the opening round.

Chelsea Gehring made her bid for time in Nebraska's regular tournament lineup by firing rounds of 79 and 73 to sit in third place with a 152.  The junior from Aberdeen, S.D., produced her eight-over par performance playing in the No. 3 slot for the NU White squad.

Senior Merynn Ito, playing in the top spot in Nebraska's Red lineup, managed solid rounds of 79 and 74 to finish with a nine-over par 153 in a tie for fourth, just one stroke behind Gehring.  Ito, a native of Aiea, Hawaii, who was playing in the 105th and 106th rounds of her Husker career, was tied with NU White golfer Elli Brown.  The true freshman from Meridian, Idaho, who was playing in the first tournament of her career, shot rounds of 75 and 78 as the White squad's No. 5 player.

"Obviously I'm excited for Allison Stewart for her performance in her very first college tournament, and I'm also thrilled about what Elli Brown did in the first rounds of her college career," Krapfl said.  "When you look up and down at the scores our players produced in these conditions, you have to be pretty positive about the future."

Junior Sara Sackett (NU Red) shot solid rounds of 76 and 79 to finish at 155 through two rounds in seventh place, just ahead of sophomore Chrissie McArdle (NU Red), who managed rounds of 76 and 80 to sit in eighth with a 12-over par 156.

Junior Jackie Beste (NU White) and redshirt freshman Heather Gutschow (NU White) were both tied in 13th place with two-round totals of 162.

The tournament will conclude with 18 holes at Wilderness Ridge on Monday with tee times starting at 8 a.m.

Chip-N Club Invitational     
         Wilderness Ridge         Lincoln, NE   
         ROUND: 2     (Date Posted: 09-19-2004)

           Par:        72               
           Yardage:  5933              

Fin Team Scores

1 Nebraska, U. of 306 306 612 +36 2 Nebraska White 320 308 628 +52 3 North Texas, U. of 316 321 637 +61 4 SW Missouri St. U. 316 327 643 +67 5 Bradley University 322 342 664 +88 Wichita State Univ. 334 330 664 +88 7 Creighton University 337 331 668 +92 8 UMKC 339 353 692 +116

Fin Name School Scores 1 Andra Lancaster N. Texas 74 72 146 +2 2 Allison Stewart Nebraska 75 73 148 +4 3 Chelsea Gehring NU White 79 73 152 +8 4 Merynn Ito Nebraska 79 74 153 +9 Elli Brown NU White 75 78 153 +9 6 Sally Hinton SMS 75 79 154 +10 7 Sara Sackett Nebraska 76 79 155 +11 8 Chrissie McArdle Nebraska 76 80 156 +12 9 Missy Linnens SMS 78 79 157 +13 10 Melissa Reeves Wichita St 79 81 160 +16 11 Carly Sobel Bradley 77 84 161 +17 Tara Goedeken Wichita St 81 80 161 +17 13 Jackie Beste NU White 86 76 162 +18 Heather Gutschow NU White 81 81 162 +18 15 Jaclyn Golden N. Texas 83 80 163 +19 Megan Hanson SMS 82 81 163 +19 Leigh Sutton Creighton 80 83 163 +19 Tara Lambright N. Texas 82 81 163 +19 19 Rachel Byleen Creighton 87 77 164 +20 20 Katie Houlehan UMKC 81 84 165 +21 21 Nicole Lloyd Wichita St 85 82 167 +23 Whitney Bauer Bradley 82 85 167 +23 23 Andrea Dunagan NU White 85 83 168 +24 Agnes Kim Bradley 82 86 168 +24 Lauren Cheves N. Texas 77 91 168 +24 Rikki Sobel Bradley 81 87 168 +24 27 Maureen Gross Creighton 87 83 170 +26 28 Brittnay Hofer UMKC 84 87 171 +27 Audrey Butler Creighton 83 88 171 +27 Aubrey McCormick SMS 83 88 171 +27 Whitney McCuistion Wichita St 81 90 171 +27 32 Whitney Cox Bradley 82 90 172 +28 Kristen Kosch SMS 81 91 172 +28 34 Beth Anne Bryson Nebraska 90 87 177 +33 35 Kelly Eddy Wichita St 91 87 178 +34 Paige Padgett N. Texas 90 88 178 +34 Jackie Wagner UMKC 89 89 178 +34 38 Amy Harder UMKC 85 96 181 +37 Jamie Raines Wichita St 89 92 181 +37 40 Paige Pahlke Creighton 92 91 183 +39 41 Danielle Zejdlik UMKC 91 93 184 +40 42 Tristin Geyer SMS 94 92 186 +42 WD Meaghan LeBlanc Bradley WD WD