Place, Huskers in Hunt at Ron Moore Intercollegiate

Highlands Ranch, Colo. - Megan Place enjoyed the best day of her Husker career on Monday to help keep the Nebraska women's golf team in the hunt for the team title entering the final day of the Ron Moore Intercollegiate at the Highlands Ranch Golf Club.

Place, a junior from Omaha, fired a career-low, one-over-par 73 in the opening round to help the Huskers take the lead after one round at 298. Place, whose previous career-best came last week with a 75 at NU's Chip-N Club Invitational, fueled Nebraska's two-stroke lead over Baylor heading into the second round.

Place and the Huskers continued to play well on the 6,518-yard, par-72 layout at the Highlands Ranch Golf Club in the second round. Through the first 13 holes of round two, Place was at even par after sinking a birdie putt on hole No. 10. She added a par on 11, before bogeying 12, when play was suspended due to darkness after completing her 15th hole of the round.

Nebraska and the rest of the 18-team field will complete the second round on Tuesday morning before finishing the 54-hole event with the final round. The teams are scheduled for a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. central.

The Huskers enter the final day of the tournament in a tie with the hosts from Denver at 21-over par, just four strokes behind the leaders from Baylor and one shot back of Tulsa. NU led the tournament through 18 holes, carrying a two-shot lead over the Lady Bears from BU heading into the second round. The Huskers were four shots ahead of the host Pioneers and five strokes ahead of Tulsa and San Jose State after the first round.

Place closed the opening round in a tie for fifth and entered the final day of the tournament in a four-way tie for seventh place at two-over-par.  Elli Brown joined Place in the top 20 heading into the tournament's second day. The senior from Meridian, Idaho, produced a two-over-par 74 in the first round to enter the second round in a tie for 15th. She sat at three-over-par through 12 holes in the second round to enter Tuesday in a three-way tie for 18th at five-over.

Senior Allison Stewart added a solid round of 75 in the first round, but was five-over-par heading into the final six holes of the second round. Stewart and Husker sophomore JC Stevenson were in a tie for 35th at eight-over-par heading into the tournament's final day. Stevenson, a native of Grand Island, Neb., managed a 78 in the first round.

Fellow sophomore Kate White completed the NU lineup in a tie for 44th place at 10-over-par through 30 holes on Monday. White entered the second round in a tie for 22nd after an opening-round 76, and was four-over-par through 12 in the second round.

Sophomore Charlotte Wendner, playing as an individual, completed NU's contingent in Colorado in a tie for 56th on Monday. Wendner managed a six-over-par 78 in the first round and was six-over-par through 15 holes in the second round.

Denver's Stephanie Sherlock entered the tournament's final day in the lead at one-under-par through nine holes of the second round. Sherlock fired the tournament's best opening round with a three-under-par 69, and was one-under on the front nine in the second round. She entered the final day with a two-stroke lead on Tulsa's Kelly Fuchik, who opened with a one-over-par 73 in the first round, but was three-under through 14 holes in the second round.

Complete first day results and live scoring for Tuesday's second and third rounds of the Ron Moore Intercollegiate are available on GolfStat.com.