Sammamish, Wash. - Madeleine Sheils tied the Nebraska women's golf individual record with a final-round 67 to capture her first collegiate title at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational at the Sahalee Country Club on Wednesday.
Sheils, a senior from Boise, Idaho, claimed her first individual medalist honor as a collegian with a three-round total of 214, one shot better than Washington's Jennifer Yang and Oregon's Cassy Isagawa.
Sheils' final-round 67 included six birdies (Holes 3, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15) and just one bogey (Hole 6) to go along with 11 pars.
"It feels absolutely incredible to win this tournament," Sheils said. "It has been one my goals now for more than a year - to get that first win - and there is really no better feeling."
The 67 marked the lowest round Sheils has ever produced, and matched the Nebraska school record shared by Stephanie Ruiz (Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invite, 2005), Kate White (Bronco Invite, 2007) and Natalie Gleadall (UNLV Spring Invite, 2009).
Sheils' round was also one of only seven rounds played at better than par in the 63-player field over the course of three rounds (189 total rounds) and the only score better than 70 during the week.
Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said Sheils' victory ranks among the best individual wins by a Husker in school history.
"Because of the talent in that field, the level of competition and the difficulty of the course, that has to rank as one of the top performances in Nebraska history," Krapfl said. "Maddie really played solid golf on Monday and Tuesday, and she was sensational today. I'm just really proud of the way she played throughout the tournament. She deserved to win."
Yang and Isagawa entered the final round in a tie for first at 143, while Sheils headed into the final 18 holes on the par-72, 6,003-yard layout at Sahalee CC in fifth place at 147. Sheils started the day on 10 and played the back nine at three-under-par to put herself in strong position. She closed out the win with a two-under-par 34 on the front nine to assume control of the tournament and put the pressure on Yang and Isagawa.
Yang, who played the front nine at one-over-par 37, answered with a one-under 35 on the back, but was unable to catch Sheils. Meanwhile, Isagawa was struggling, battling her way to a three-over-par 39 on the front while adding a bogey on No. 12 to seemingly slip completely out of contention.
At that point, the hosts from Washington presented Sheils with the individual trophy and the Huskers left for the airport to make their return trip to Nebraska.
Then Isagawa caught fire. The freshman from Hawaii, who won the Junior PGA Championship and the Junior Americas Cup, and is a member of the Junior Ryder Cup team, birdied 13 and 14, before adding a par on 15. She continued to narrow Sheils' lead with birdies on 16 and 17 and needed a fifth birdie on her final six holes to tie Sheils for the victory. Isagawa settled for a par on the 455-yard 18th hole to match the All-American Yang for second place.
"It was really a great field and a really difficult golf course, so to get my first win at this tournament is definitely exciting," Sheils said. "I've really made some huge mental gains in my game over the past year, especially after having the summer I had, so I feel really good about my game right now."
In addition to Sheils' school-record score, sophomore Steffi Neisen bounced back from a pair of tough rounds on Monday and Tuesday to shoot a solid 73. With Sheils and Neisen leading the way, the Huskers produced a final-round 302, which tied Oregon for the second-best team round on the final day of the tournament.
Nebraska's final-round effort propelled them three spots up the leaderboard into a tie for seventh with Gonzaga at 932.
In a 12-team field that included six Pac-12 Conference schools and four teams ranked among the nation's top 35, the Huskers finished in front of UNLV, Idaho, BYU and Washington State in the final standings.
Colorado won the team crown with a three-round total of 896, including Wednesday's best round of 301. Oregon finished second at 898, including a final-round 302. The hosts from Washington finished in a tie for third with California at 900.
The Huskers continue their fall season on Oct. 10-11 at the Lady Northern in French Lick, Ind.
Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational
Oct. 3-5, 2011
Sahalee Country Club (Sammamish, Wash.)
Par 72, 6,003 Yards
Final Team Results
1. Colorado - 299-296-301-896
2. Oregon - 301-295-302-898
T3. Washington - 303-294-303-900
T3. California - 299-296-305-900
5. Oregon State - 298-313-309-920
6. San Jose State - 314-302-307-923
T7. Nebraska - 318-312-302-932
T7. Gonzaga - 305-316-311-932
9. UNLV - 311-312-310-933
10. Idaho - 311-309-315-935
11. BYU - 322-309-310-941
12. Washington State - 322-315-331-968
Final Individual Results
1. Madeleine Sheils, Nebraska - 73-74-67-214 (-2)
T2. Jennifer Yang, Washington - 73-70-72-215 (-1)
T2. Cassy Isagawa, Oregon - 72-71-72-215 (-1)
4. Alex Stewart, Colorado - 70-75-72-217 (+1)
5. Joanne Lee, California - 73-73-77-223 (+7)
T6. Victoria Fallgren, Gonzaga - 73-78-73-224 (+8)
T6. Emily Childs, California - 75-74-75-224 (+8)
T8. Megan Osland, San Jose State - 77-71-77-225 (+9)
T8. Nicola Roessler, California - 74-75-76-225 (+9)
10. Jennifer Coleman, Colorado - 75-78-73-226 (+10)
Nebraska Individuals
1. Madeleine Sheils - 73-74-67-214
34. Steffi Neisen - 82-80-73 - 235
T48. Kayla Knopik - 80-80-81-241
55. Katelyn Wright - 87-78-81-246
T58. Shelby Martinek - 83-85-81-249