Huskers Tied for Seventh at Big 12 Championships

Waco, Texas - The Nebraska women's golf team began its stay at the Big 12 Championships with an opening-round 312 to sit in a tie for seventh place with Kansas through Monday's first round at the Ridgewood Country Club in Waco, Texas.

Junior Allison Stewart led the Huskers with a three-over-par 75 to sit in a five-way tie for fifth after the first round.

"Allison really putted well today," Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. "She made some big putts, which was really exciting to see because she hasn't been putting the ball particularly well. We needed her to play well today and she did."

KU's Amanda Costner was the only golfer to shoot under-par on the par-72, 6,142-yard layout with her opening-round 71. Texas A&M's Christa Spedding added an even-par 72, while the Aggies' Ashley Knoll contributed a 74 to help A&M take the lead in the team standings with an opening-round 300. Oklahoma State, Baylor and Colorado are tied for second at 308, as the Huskers sit just four strokes out of second place in the team standings.

"We really struck the ball poorly today," Krapfl said. "The good news is, we didn't play that well and we are only four shots out of second. Hopefully we can come out and play better tomorrow and gain some ground in the standings. The conditions are supposed to be significantly worse tomorrow than they were today, and we have shown throughout the season that we are a tough team in adverse playing conditions."

Junior Elli Brown managed a five-over-par 77 to sit in a seven-way tie for 15th, while true freshman Kate White pitched in a 78 to find herself in an eight-way tie for 22nd.

Senior Chrissie McArdle settled for an 82, while true freshman JC Stevenson struggled to produce an 87 in the first Big 12 Championship appearance of her young career.

The Huskers will try to climb the leaderboard during Tuesday's second round at the Big 12 Championships. The 54-hole tournament concludes with the final round on Wednesday in Waco.