Stevenson Tied for Fifth in Florida

Gainesville, Fla. - Senior JC Stevenson fired rounds of 73 and 71 to head into the final round of the SunTrust Gator Invitational in a tie for fifth place on Saturday.

With the Grand Island native leading the charge, the Nebraska women's golf team produced rounds of 306 and 293 on the par-70, 6,002-yard layout at the Mark Bostick Golf Course on the University of Florida campus, to close the first 36 holes at 599 in sixth place in the 15-team field.

In a talent-laden field that includes eight top-50 teams, No. 24 Florida State closed the first day in front of the team race at 577 (297-280), three shots ahead of 12th-ranked Michigan State (294-286-580). The hosts from Florida were 10 shots back of the Seminoles at 587, while Chattanooga sat in fourth (299-293-592). Notre Dame (295-300-595) headed into Sunday's round just four shots in front of the Huskers.

While Stevenson led the way for the Huskers with a two-round total of 144 in pursuit of her 21st career top 20 finish, junior Mary Kate Bird and sophomores Kayla Knopik and Maddie Sheils played consistently solid golf for NU on Saturday.

Bird heads into Sunday's final round in a tie for 30th at 151 (77-74), while Knopik and Sheils are just one stroke back in a tie for 33rd after producing identical rounds of 78 and 74 on Saturday. Senior Charlotte Wendner rounded out the Husker contingent at 159 (79-80) to close the day in a tie for 62nd.

Michigan State's Laura Kueny sits atop the individual leaderboard at 141 after two rounds, while Florida State's Jessica Negron and Florida's Mia Piccio are just one shot back at 142. FSU's Macarena Silva is just two shots back of the leader at 143, while Stevenson, Chattanooga's Emma de Groot and Notre Dame's Becca Huffer are just three strokes behind Kueny in a tie for fifth at 144.

The Huskers will conclude the SunTrust Gator Invitational with the final 18 holes on Sunday beginning at 7 a.m. (central). Live scoring will be available at GolfStat.com.

SunTrust Gator Invitational
April 10-11, 2010
Mark Bostick Golf Course
Par 70, 6,002 Yards

Team Results Through Two Rounds
1. Florida State - 297-280-577
2. Michigan State - 294-286-580
3. Florida - 295-292-587
4. Chattanooga - 299-293-592
5. Notre Dame - 295-300-595
6. Nebraska - 306-293-599
7. Central Florida - 306-297-603
8. Texas A&M - 303-301-604
9. UNC-Greensboro - 304-305-609
10. South Florida - 307-304-611
11. Georgia State - 312-300-612
12. Furman - 307-306-613
13. Florida International - 306-313-619
14. Georgetown - 314-308-622
15. Florida Atlantic - 321-321-642

Individual Results Through Two Rounds
1. Laura Kueny, Michigan State - 73-68-141
T2. Jessica Negron, Florida State - 69-73-142
T2. Mia Piccio, Florida - 70-72-142
4. Macarena Silva, Florida State - 74-69-143
T5. JC Stevenson, Nebraska - 73-71-144
T5. Emma de Groot, Chattanooga - 71-73-144
T5. Becca Huffer, Notre Dame - 74-70-144
T8. Annie Brophy, Notre Dame - 72-73-145
T8. Stefanie Kenoyer, Furman - 72-73-145
T8. Aimee Neff, Michigan State - 72-73-145
T8. Caroline Powers, Michigan State - 74-71-145

Nebraska Individuals
T5. JC Stevenson - 73-71-144
T30. Mary Kate Bird - 77-74-151
T33. Kayla Knopik - 78-74-152
T33. Maddie Sheils - 78-74-152
T62. Charlotte Wendner - 79-80-159