Wolcott, Colo. - Morgan Smejkal fired an even-par 72 to finish in a tie for 14th with a career-best three-round score of 222 to lead the Nebraska women's golf team to an 11th-place finish at the GolfWeek Conference Challenge on Wednesday.
Smejkal, a senior from Columbus, Neb., closed the three-round event on the par-72, 6,261-yard layout of Red Sky Golf Club's Fazio Course with Nebraska's best round of the tournament. She played the front nine at two-under par with a 34. Her tie for 14th marked the second top-15 finish of her Husker career.
Fellow senior Cassidy Stelzmiller (Placerville, Calif.) provided the Big Red with their second-best round of the day, carding a 76 for her best round of the tournament. She finished in a tie for 69th in the 86-player field at 238.
Sarah Pravecek, a junior from Omaha, Neb., added her third solid round of the tournament with a 78 to finish in a tie for 50th overall at 233. Pravecek matched Husker teammate Audrey Judd at 233 for the tournament. Judd, a sophomore from Olathe, Kan., added NU's fourth score of the day with a 79.
Freshman Haley Thiele managed an 81 to finish in a tie for 60th at 235. Thiele's first two rounds (78-76) counted toward Nebraska's team score in the tournament's first two days.
As a team, Nebraska closed the tournament with a final-round 305 to finish with a three-round score of 918. The Huskers missed a top-10 team finish by one stroke in a 17-team field that featured schools from 17 different conferences.
San Diego State captured the team title by firing the best round of the tournament with a 10-under-par 278 on Wednesday. The Aztecs ran away with the team title, outdistancing runner-up TCU by 20 strokes. The Horned Frogs finished at 878.
Arizona State took third at 883, including a sizzling 279 on Wednesday, while the hosts from Denver finished fourth at 885.
Emma Hendrikson led San Diego State's run to the title by firing her second straight five-under-par round of 67 on Wednesday. Henrickson opened with a 72 on Monday, finishing the tournament with a 10-under-par 206. She won medalist honors by nine strokes over Arizona State's Monica Vaughn and TCU's Kelly McGovern.
The Huskers return to action for their only home tournament of the season at the 2015 Chip-N Club Invitational, Oct. 5-6. Nebraska's annual fall event will be held at the Country Club of Lincoln.
GolfWeek Conference Challenge
Red Sky Golf Club (Fazio Course, Par 72/6,261 Yards)
Wolcott, Colo.
Sept. 21-23, 2015
Team Results (Final)
1. San Diego State - 294-286-278-858 (-6)
2. TCU - 289-299-290-878 (+14)
3. Arizona State - 299-305-279-883 (+19)
4. Denver - 296-290-299-885 (+21)
5. Campbell - 299-297-292-888 (+24)
6. Pepperdine - 314-297-287-898 (+34)
7. Long Beach State - 305-300-296-901 (+37)
8. Memphis - 306-298-301-905 (+41)
9. Mississippi - 303-303-303-909 (+45)
10. Wichita State - 302-318-297-917 (+53)
11. Nebraska - 314-299-305-918 (+54)
12. Florida International - 315-308-297-920 (+56)
T13. Toledo - 311-317-294-922 (+58)
T13. New Mexico State - 312-313-297-922 (+58)
15. Jacksonville - 320-307-311-938 (+74)
16. Boston College - 315-318-306-939 (+75)
17. Lamar - 338-328-316-982 (+118)
Individual Results (Final)
1. Emma Henrikson, San Diego State - 72-67-67-206 (-10)
T2. Monica Vaughn, Arizona State - 75-73-67-215 (-1)
T2. Kelly McGovern, TCU - 76-72-67-215 (-1)
4. Sirene Blair, San Diego State - 70-76-72-218 (+2)
T5. Savannah Knox, Long Beach State - 71-73-75-219 (+3)
T5. Marissa Chow, Pepperdine - 78-74-67-219 (+3)
T5. Annelie Sjoholm, Campbell - 74-74-71-219 (+3)
T8. Haleigh Krause, San Diego State - 76-75-69-220 (+4)
T8. Tahnia Ravnjak, Campbell - 71-76-73-220 (+4)
T8. Katharina Barotta-Dragaro, Denver - 73-74-73-220 (+4)
T8. Madison Kerley, Arizona State - 73-78-69-220 (+4)
Nebraska Individuals
T14. Morgan Smejkal - 77-73-72-222
T50. Audrey Judd - 81-73-79-233
T50. Sarah Pravecek - 78-77-78-233
T60. Haley Thiele - 78-76-81-235
T69. Cassidy Stelzmiller - 84-78-76-238