Mesa, Ariz. - Kate Smith produced her fourth top-10 finish of the season by firing a one-under-par 71 in the final round to tie for eighth with a three-round total of 214 to lead the Nebraska women's golf team at the Clover Cup on Sunday.
Smith, a freshman from Detroit Lakes, Minn., produced her ninth round better than par in her 22nd round of the season on Sunday. Her final-round 71 helped her set a collegiate career-best 54-hole score of 214 on the 6,184-yard layout of the Longbow Golf Club. Her previous best was a 215 at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in Highlands Ranch, Colo., Oct. 7-9. Smith's final round also propelled Smith to her seventh top-25 finish in eight tournaments this season.
Smith lowered her team-leading season stroke average to 72.82, which is more than one full stroke per round ahead of school-record pace.
Fellow freshman Annie Sritragul added Nebraska's second-best round of the day with her second straight 74. The 17-year-old from Bangkok, Thailand, finished with a career-best three-round total of 226, shattering her previous collegiate career best by eight strokes. Sritragul tied for 42nd overall in the 83-player field.
Sarah Pravecek added her best round of the tournament with a 74 of her own on Sunday. The senior from Omaha closed with a 54-hole score of 232 to tie Husker junior Audrey Judd for 60th. Judd managed Nebraska's fourth score on Sunday with an 80. Junior Emily Gillman rounded out the NU contingent with a final-round 85 to finish in a tie for 74th at 246.
With Smith leading the way, Nebraska finished the Clover Cup with its best team round of the tournament (299) on Sunday, but still settled for a 12th-place team finish in a strong 15-team field. The Huskers closed with a three-round team score of 904.
Arizona State used a final-round 282 to clinch the team title with a 26-under-par, three-round total of 838. The Sun Devils defeated runner-up Oklahoma by 13 strokes (282-285-284), while Florida State took third (279-284-290-853).
Oklahoma's Julienne Soo earned individual medalist honors with a 13-under-par 203 (66-66-71), while Arizona State golfers swept the next three spots. Linnea Strom was the runner-up (68-71-68-207), Monica Vaughn took third (69-68-71-208) and Sophia Zeeb finished fourth (72-69-72-211).
Nebraska will close the regular season at the Hawkeye El Tigre in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, April 2-4, before traveling to Maineville, Ohio for the Big Ten Tournament, April 21-23.
Clover Cup
Mesa, Ariz. (Longbow Golf Club)
Par 72, 6,184 Yards
March 17-19, 2017
Final Team Results
1. Arizona State - 281-275-282-838
2. Oklahoma - 282-285-284-851
3. Florida State - 279-284-290-853
4. Houston - 287-275-306-868
5. TCU - 292-287-303-882
6. Kentucky - 301-296-287-884
7. Notre Dame - 292-297-298-887
8. Minnesota - 300-294-294-888
9. Florida International - 294-297-298-889
10. Vanderbilt - 302-294-301-897
11. Cincinnati - 301-299-301-901
12. Nebraska - 302-303-299-904
13. Indiana - 310-299-300-909
14. UNC Greensboro - 307-307-312-926
15. IUPUI - 322-307-325-954
Final Individual Results
1. Julienne Soo, Oklahoma - 66-66-71-203
2. Linnea Strom, Arizona State - 68-71-68-207
3. Monica Vaughn, Arizona State - 69-68-71-208
4. Sophia Zeeb, Arizona State - 72-67-71-210
5. Matilda Castren, Florida State - 70-69-72-211
T6. Olivia Mehaffey, Arizona State - 72-69-72-213
T6. Morgan Metraux, Florida State - 69-71-73-213
T8. Kate Smith, Nebraska - 68-75-71-214
T8. Ana Ruiz, Oklahoma - 70-73-71-214
T10. Lydia Gumm, Florida State - 72-72-71-215
T10. Kim Metraux, Florida State - 68-72-75-215
Nebraska Individuals
T8. Kate Smith - 68-75-71-214
T42. Annie Sritragul - 78-74-74-226
T60. Sarah Pravecek - 79-79-74-232
T60. Audrey Judd - 77-75-80-232
T74. Emily Gillman - 80-81-85-246