Huskers in Hunt at Edwin Watts/Palmetto Invite

Kiawah Island, S.C. - JC Stevenson enjoyed a strong opening day to keep the Huskers in the hunt for their second straight tournament title at the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Invitational at the Oak Point Golf Club on Monday afternoon.

Stevenson, a sophomore from Grand Island, Neb., closed the first day in a tie for fifth place, including an opening-round 76. Stevenson enters the final day of the tournament at one-under par in the second round after play was suspended late Monday because of darkness. Stevenson is well within striking distance of Michelle Regan from Kansas State, who closed the day at one-over-par, just two strokes ahead of Stevenson.

The 20-team field will resume play on Tuesday morning with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. Central Time to complete the second round before finishing the tournament with the final 18 holes later in the morning.

With Stevenson leading the charge, the Huskers head into the final day of the two-day event in a tie for fourth place with East Tennessee State at 38-over-par. A pair of top-40 national teams and Big 12 Conference rival Kansas State sit ahead of the Huskers on the team leaderboard.

East Carolina, ranked No. 30 nationally by the GolfStat computer rankings, owns a nine-stroke lead with a 23-over-par score midway through the second round. The Pirates fired a 20-over-par 308 in the first round, before sizzling for a three-over-par score in the second round.

Kansas State managed a 32-over-par score with nearly two rounds complete, just five shots ahead of 39th-ranked Georgia State. GSU owns a narrow one-shot lead on the Huskers and ETSU.

A pair of nationally ranked squads are well behind the Huskers on the leaderboard, including No. 28 Iowa State (9th, 45-over-par) and No. 42 Indiana (13th, 49-over-par).

Senior Elli Brown continued her solid play by closing the first day in a tie for 14th place on the 5,933-yard layout at Oak Point. Brown managed a six-over-par 78 in the opening round, which was played in cool and breezy conditions. The temperatures rose and winds fell throughout the day, improving the scoring conditions in the second round. Brown responded by producing a two-over-par score through her first 13 holes of the second round.

Fellow senior Allison Stewart heads into the final day of competition in a tie for 33rd. She helped the Huskers get out of the gates quickly, jumping to an early lead through much of the first round, but struggled later to settle for a five-over-par 77 in the opening round. She added a five-over-par total through her first 14 holes of the second round.

True freshman Mary Kate Bird, playing for the first time in Nebraska's varsity lineup, enters the final day of the tournament at 17-over-par, which included an 11-over-par 83 in the opening round. She is six-over through 14 holes in the second round. Bird is tied with Husker sophomore Charlotte Wendner for 64th individually in the 104-player field. Wendner struggled for an 84 in the opening round, but bounced back to close the second round at five-over through 15 holes before darkness stopped play.