Tucson, Ariz. - The Nebraska women's golf team shattered a school tournament record by finishing with a two-over-par 866, including a final round 294 to win the 17-team Mountain View Collegiate on Sunday.
The Huskers' three-round team score demolished the previous school-record low tournament total of 884, set earlier this season at the Bronco Invitational in Idaho on Oct. 9-10, 2006. NU's total also established a Mountain View Collegiate record, previously set with an 870 by Northwestern in 2005. Nebraska's win marked the Huskers' third team tournament crown of the year, joining wins at the Bronco Invitational and the Chip-N Club Invitational during the fall.
"What a great team win for our players," Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. "This is probably one of the biggest tournament wins in the history of our program, considering the strength of this field with nine of the best teams in the Big 12 and four Big Ten teams. I think the scores we shot this weekend are really indicative of the kind of golf this team is capable of playing."
Nebraska's victory on the par-72, 6,126-yard layout of the Mountain View Golf Course came by four strokes over Northwestern (870). Indiana finished seven strokes back of the Huskers at 873, led by individual champion Elaine Harris who finished with a seven-under-par 209.
Elli Brown led the Huskers with her seventh top-10 individual finish of the season. The junior from Meridian, Idaho, closed the tournament with a two-under-par 70 for her best round of the 54-hole event. Brown's three-under-par total of 213 smashed her previous career-best tournament score of 216 set at this season's Bronco Invitational.
Brown, who birdied three of her final four holes on Sunday, was a major key to Nebraska's total team effort.
"Elli played great golf all three rounds and down the stretch she really helped keep us going," Krapfl said. "Everybody just played solid again today. We gave some shots away in the middle of the round, but we found a way to get the win. It was just a great team effort."
True freshman Kate White (Waukegan, Ill.) added her third top-10 finish of the season by adding a three-over-par 75 on Sunday to finish four strokes behind Brown in a tie for 10th at 217.
Senior Chrissie McArdle (Eden Prairie, Minn.) matched White with a 75 on Sunday to post her third top-20 finish with a three-round total of 219 to finish in a tie for 19th.
Although Allison Stewart finished as the lowest individual finisher in NU's tournament lineup, the junior from Vermillion, S.D., secured the team title for the Huskers with her two-over-par final round of 74. Stewart finished in a tie for 53rd at 225, after opening Saturday's round with a 79, before bouncing back with a 72 in the second round. Stewart's 225 also matched her career-low tournament total set at last season's Mountain View Collegiate.
Stewart's strong final round allowed Nebraska to drop true freshman JC Stevenson's 78 and secure the four-stroke team win. Stevenson, a native of Grand Island, Neb., finished the tournament in a tie for 32nd for the sixth top-35 finish of her rookie campaign. Stevenson's three-round total of 222, which included a pair of even-par rounds of 72 on Saturday, eclipsed her previous tournament best of 227 at the Bronco Invitational.
True freshman Charlotte Wendner also obliterated her previous career-best tournament total by 11 strokes by finishing in a tie for 72nd with a 231 while playing as an individual outside of NU's lineup.
The Huskers will take three weeks off from competition to prepare for the Big 12 Championships in Waco, Texas, April 16-18.
Mountain View Collegiate
Final Results (March 24-25)
Mountain View Golf Course
Par 72, 6,126 Yards
Tucson, Ariz.
Final Team Leaderboard (Top Five)
1. Nebraska - 287-285-294-866 (school record)
2. Northwestern - 294-288-288-870
3. Indiana - 297-287-289-873
T4. Missouri - 297-293-284-874
T4. Kansas - 297-291-286-874
Nebraska Individual Results
6. Elli Brown - 72-71-70-213
10. Kate White - 69-73-75-217
T19. Chrissie McArdle - 74-70-75-219
T32. JC Stevenson - 72-72-78-222
T53. Allison Stewart - 79-72-74-225
T72. Charlotte Wendner (IND) - 76-75-80-231