Parrish, Fla. - The Nebraska women's golf team fired the third-best final round score with a 305 to finish in ninth place overall at the 15-team Central District Invitational on Tuesday.
The Huskers concluded their first tournament of the spring season with a three-round total of 927, just one stroke behind eighth-place Michigan in a field loaded with talented teams from the Big 12 and Big Ten conferences, including 10 teams ranked among the top 50 in the GolfStat rankings.
The hosts from Michigan State won the event with an 892 over 54 holes on the 6,099-yard layout at the River Wilderness Golf Club. The Spartans finished 10 strokes ahead of second-place Texas A&M, which closed the tournament with the best round of the day at 298 to finish the two-day event at 902. Nebraska produced Tuesday's next best round at 305.
Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said the Huskers' improvement was noticeable throughout the tournament, after opening with a 314 in Monday's first round, and coming back with a 308 over yesterday's second 18 holes.
"We hit the ball much better today, and overall I was really pleased with how we battled on the course," Krapfl said. "I definitely saw some encouraging things out there that we can build on during the rest of the spring."
JC Stevenson led the Huskers with a three-over-par 75 on Tuesday. Stevenson, a sophomore from Grand Island, Neb., finished as NU's top individual in the tournament by tying for 12th place at 227 in the 75-player field.
Elli Brown, a senior from Meridian, Idaho, matched Stevenson's 75 in the final round to finish in a tie for 28th place at 232. Fellow senior Allison Stewart finished one stroke back of Brown in a tie for 31st at 233, after producing a final-round 77. Sophomore Kate White carded a 78 on Tuesday to finish in a tie for 39th at 235.
Michigan State's Sara Brown won the individual title with a four-under-par 212 over three rounds. Brown finished seven strokes ahead of Missouri's Julia Potter, who took second at 219.
Nebraska returns to action March 7-9, when the Huskers travel to Bryan, Texas, to compete in the Texas A&M "Mo" Morial. NU is scheduled to tee off at 8 a.m. on March 7.
Central District Invitational
River Wilderness Golf Club
Par 72, 6,099 Yards
Parrish, Fla. (Feb. 18-19, 2008)
Final Team Standings
1. Michigan State - 291-298-303-892
2. Texas A&M - 302-302-298-902
3. Kent State - 304-299-309-912
4. Ohio State - 308-296-309-913
5. Texas - 304-303-307-914
6. Missouri - 306-305-306-917
7. Indiana - 304-311-306-921
8. Michigan - 302-314-310-926
9. Nebraska - 314-308-305-927
10. Notre Dame - 315-300-314-929
11. Oklahoma - 312-313-310-935
11. SMU - 310-312-313-939
13. Northwestern - 314-312-313-939
14. Baylor - 317-314-325-956
15. Kansas State - 329-317-317-963
Individual Leaderboard
1. Sara Brown, Michigan State - 70-70-72-212
2. Julia Potter, Missouri - 73-72-74-219
3. Ashley Rollins, Texas - 73-76-72-221
3. Carling Coffing, Ohio State - 77-72-72-221
5. Ashley Freeman, Texas A&M - 73-76-73-222
Nebraska Individuals
12T. JC Stevenson - 77-75-75-227
28T. Elli Brown - 78-79-75-232
31T. Allison Stewart - 82-74-77-233
39T. Kate White - 77-80-78-235
72. Mary Kate Bird - 90-86-88-264