Huskers Struggle on Day Two in Austin

Austin, Texas - After shooting the top team round of the tournament with a 302 on Friday, the Nebraska women's golf team struggled to shoot the highest team score of the tournament on day two with a 334 to drop the Huskers from first to ninth place at the 17-team Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational on Saturday. 

The Huskers led the three-day, 54-hole tournament at The University of Texas Golf Club after Friday's first round by firing a 302 to enter the second day with a five-stroke lead over No. 1 Duke.  NU set the pace for a field that includes seven top-25 teams, but the Huskers could not put together back-to-back solid rounds.

As a team, Nebraska was 32 over par on Saturday to slip into ninth place with a two-round total of 636.  Despite a rough round on the tournament's second day, the Huskers are just five strokes out of sixth place and could climb back up the leaderboard with a strong final 18 holes on Sunday. Arkansas leads the tournament with a 36-hole score of 611, while Duke sits in second at 614.

Sophomore Chrissie McArdle provided a lone bright spot for the Huskers on Saturday by putting together a six-over-par 78 on the 6,323-yard, par-72 layout.  McArdle enters the tournament's final day as the only Husker among the top 25, as she sits in a tie for 24th place.

NU freshman Elli Brown, who fired the tournament's best round with a two-under-par 70 on Friday, managed an 88 on Saturday to fall from the top spot to a tie for 32nd. 

Brown was not alone in her descent on the leaderboard, as NU senior Merynn Ito slipped from fourth place into a tie for 28th with a second-round 84.

Junior Jackie Beste added an 84 of her own on Saturday to sit in a tie for 66th.  Sara Sackett added an 82 on Saturday to climb eight spots from a tie for 88th into a tie for 80th.

The 54-hole tournament concludes on Sunday with an 18-hole third round.

Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational
The University of Texas Golf Club
Par 72, 6,323 Yards

Team Standings (Through Two Rounds)
1. Arkansas - 309-302=611
2. Duke - 307-307-614
3. Oklahoma State - 310-306=616
4. Texas - 313-308=621
5. Arizona State - 315-308=623
6. TCU - 324-307=631
7. Tulsa - 311-321=632
8. Missouri - 325-310=635
9. Nebraska - 302-334=636
10. Texas A&M - 312-326=638
11. New Mexico State -325-317=642
12. Baylor - 323-323=646
13. SMU - 325-323=648
14. Texas Tech - 325-324=649
15. Kansas State - 322-328=650
16. Oklahoma - 327-326=653
17. Kansas - 329-330=659

Top 10 Individuals
1. Stacy Lewis, Arkansas, 74-73=147 (+3)
T2. Maddie Augustsson, Missouri - 75-75=150 (+6)
T2. Camille Blackerby, TCU - 79-71=150 (+6)
T4. Catherine Matranga, TCU - 76-75=151 (+7)
T4. Ashley Prust, Texas - 79-72=151 (+7)
T6. Michaela Cavener, Tulsa - 74-78=152 (+8)
T6. Anna Grzebien, Duke - 75-77=152 (+8)
T6. Elizabeth Janangelo, Duke - 74-78=152 (+8)
T6. Gena Johnson, Arkansas - 78-74=152 (+8)
T6. Louise Stahle, Arizona State - 77-75=152 (+8)
T6. Annie Thurman-Young, Oklahoma State - 76-76=152 (+8)

Nebraska Individuals
T24. Chrissie McArdle - 78-78=156 (+12)
T28. Merynn Ito - 73-84=157 (+13)
T32. Elli Brown - 70-88=158 (+14)
T66. Jackie Beste - 81-84=165 (+21)
T80. Sara Sackett - 86-82=168 (+24)
T87. Chelsea Gehring - 86-84=170 (+26)
T93. Allison Stewart - 84-90=174 (+30)