Carmel, Ind. - Madeleine Sheils fired a final-round 72 to finish in a tie for fourth place individually while leading the Nebraska women's golf team to a fourth-place finish at the Hoosier Fall Invitational at the Crooked Stick Golf Club on Tuesday.
Sheils, a senior from Boise, Idaho, erupted for three birdies in her first five holes on Tuesday morning on holes 5 through 9, after producing just two birdies in Monday's first two rounds combined. She took bogeys on holes 10 and 11, before settling in for seven consecutive pars on the back nine. After a bogey on No. 1, she notched pars on the final three holes to close the round at even-par 72 on the 6,030-yard layout at Crooked Stick. She finished with a three-round total of 225.
Sheils finished five strokes back of tournament champion Becca Huffer from Notre Dame who closed the 54-hole event at 220. It was Sheils' second top-five finish in four tournaments this season, including a tournament title at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational in Sammamish, Wash., Oct. 3-5. Sheils owns three top-10 finishes this season and has finished in the top 20 in all four events during the fall campaign.
True freshman Shelby Martinek added the first top-20 finish of her career with a career-best three-round total of 230 (80-71-79). The Tempe, Ariz., native's tournament included a career-best 71 in Monday's second round. Martinek finished in a tie for 18th as Nebraska's No. 2 finisher in her second career appearance in the Husker lineup.
Sophomore Steffi Neisen added a tie for 26th with a three-round score of 234, including Nebraska's second-best round of the day with a 76 on Tuesday. Fellow sophomore Katelyn Wright tied for 55th with a score of 245, despite settling for a final-round 84.
The Huskers finished in fourth place at 924, including a final-round 311. At the conclusion of the round, the Huskers thought they had registered a final-round 306 to finish at 919. However, senior Kayla Knopik was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard, eliminating her final-round 79 from the Huskers' team score. The disqualification did not affect Nebraska's placing in the final team standings. Knopik was in line for a top-25 individual finish after shooting a pair of 77s in the first and second rounds on Monday.
Eastern Michigan won the 13-team tournament with a 912, including a 303 in the final round. Notre Dame finished second at 913, while Illinois was the only Big Ten Conference team in the field to finish ahead of the Huskers at 918. The hosts from Indiana finished fifth at 926, while Penn State took sixth at 928.
Nebraska will take next week off from competition before concluding the fall portion of its schedule at the Alamo Invitational in San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 30-Nov. 1.
Hoosier Fall Invitational
Oct. 17-18, 2011
Crooked Stick Golf Club (Carmel, Ind.)
Par 72, 6,030 Yards
Final Team Results
1. Eastern Michigan - 303-306-303-912
2. Notre Dame - 306-297-310-913
3. Illinois - 314-293-311-918
4. Nebraska - 311-302-311-924
5. Indiana - 317-307-302-926
6. Penn State - 305-315-308-928
7. Wichita State - 307-311-312-930
8. Gonzaga - 316-308-312-936
9. Missouri - 323-307-321-951
10. Western Michigan - 327-306-322-955
T11. Toledo - 329-316-316-961
T11. Illinois State - 330-321-310-961
13. Ball State - 334-326-326-986
Final Individual Results
1. Becca Huffer, Notre Dame - 76-73-71-220
2. Gretchen Huhnerkoch, Wichita State - 72-77-74-223
3. Sarah Johnson, Eastern Michigan - 75-75-74-224
T4. Madeleine Sheils, Nebraska - 77-76-72-225
T4. Kelli Oride, Notre Dame - 78-73-74-225
T6. Kristtini Cain, Indiana - 79-74-73-226
T6. Hailey Koschmann, Illinois - 76-72-78-226
T8. Shannon Warner, Eastern Michigan - 73-74-80-227
T8. Christina Vosters, Penn State - 73-78-76-227
T8. Brianna Cooper, Illinois State - 79-75-73-227
Nebraska Individuals
T4. Madeleine Sheils - 77-76-72-225
T18. Shelby Martinek - 80-71-79-230
T26. Steffi Neisen - 77-81-76-234
52. Katie Keiser* - 82-83-78-243
T55. Katelyn Wright - 83-78-84-245
DQ - Kayla Knopik - 77-77-DQ
*competing as an individual outside Nebraska's lineup