Peoria, Ariz. - Kate Smith finished with an eight-under par 208 to tie for second and power the Nebraska women's golf team to its first invitational title since 2014, as the Huskers won the 2019 Westbrook Spring Invitational on Monday.
The 16-team field at the Westbrook Spring Invitational hosted by Wisconsin featured seven Big Ten Conference teams and 14 teams overall ranked among the top 100 teams in the nation, including five top-50 programs in the current GolfStat rankings. The team title was Nebraska's first since winning the Mountain View Collegiate in Tucson, Ariz., March 28-29, 2014.
Smith, a junior from Detroit Lakes, Minn., led the Huskers on Monday with a two-under-par 70 to finish with a three-round total of 208 (70-68-70). Smith and Notre Dame's Emma Albrecht tied for second four strokes behind Ohio State's Aneka Seumanutafa, who was the medalist at 204 (69-68-67).
With Smith leading the way, Nebraska managed a two-over-par 290 on Monday to finish with a three-round team total of 853 (-11) on the par-72, 6,252-yard layout of the Vistas Course at Westbrook Village. It marked the best tournament-winning total in school history and the second-best team total overall, trailing only the 843 the Huskers shot last spring at Westbrook Village.
Nebraska was able to hold off a charge by No. 24 Oklahoma, which finished one stroke back at 854 (286-284-283), and a push by No. 26 Illinois, which took third at 855 (287-288-280).
The Huskers also got a top-five individual finish from Kirsten Baete. The redshirt freshman from Beatrice, Neb., closed her tournament with an even-par 72 for a career-best 210 tournament total and the best finish of her young career.
Sophomore Noor Ahmed (Folsom, Calif.) continued to play solid golf with a final-round 73 to finish at 224, alongside true freshman Vanessa Bouvet (Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei), who rounded out Nebraska's scoring on Monday with a three-over 75. Ahmed and Bouvet tied for 72nd individually.
Junior Haley Thiele (Wahoo, Neb.) managed a 78 on Monday to finish in a tie for 35th at 218, following strong rounds of 72 and 68 to help shoot the Huskers into the lead on Sunday.
Freshman Megan Whittaker (Elkhorn, Neb.) rounded out the Husker contingent in a tie for 81st with a three-round total of 227 (77-74-76).
Nebraska returns to Arizona to compete in the Clover Cup hosted by Notre Dame, March 15-17.
Final Team Results
1. Nebraska - 287-276-290-853 (-11)
2. #24 Oklahoma - 283-288-283-854 (-10)
3. #26 Illinois - 287-288-280-855 (-9)
4. #32 Oregon State - 286-287-283-856 (-8)
T5. Notre Dame - 288-286-286-860 (-4)
T5. #50 Mississippi State - 286-284-290-860 (-4)
7. Michigan - 289-284-288-861 (-3)
8. #37 Tennessee - 289-290-283-862 (-2)
9. Denver - 292-281-290-863 (-1)
10. Ohio State - 291-293-283-867 (+3)
T11. Indiana - 290-289-289-868 (+4)
T11. UC Davis - 300-282-286-868 (+4)
13. Missouri - 289-291-291-871 (+7)
14. Washington State - 296-295-283-874 (+10)
15. Iowa - 300-299-294-893 (+29)
16. Wisconsin - 294-295-310-899 (+35)
Individual Results
1. Aneka Seumanutafa, Ohio State - 69-68-67-204 (-12)
T2. Kate Smith, Nebraska - 70-68-70-208 (-8)
T2. Emma Albrecht, Notre Dame - 70-68-70-208 (-8)
4. Christine Danielsson, UC Davis - 74-69-66-209 (-7)
T5. Kirsten Baete, Nebraska - 72-66-72-210 (-6)
T5. Kornkamol Sukaree, Illinois - 71-73-66-210 (-6)
T7. Kaitlin Milligan, Oklahoma - 69-72-70-211 (-5)
T7. Alexis Miestowski, Indiana - 69-70-72-211 (-5)
T9. Mary Weinstein, Denver - 72-68-72-212 (-4)
T9. Nikolette Schroeder, Ohio State - 70-71-71-212 (-4)
Nebraska Individuals
T2. Kate Smith - 70-68-70-208 (-8)
T5. Kirsten Baete - 72-66-72-210 (-6)
T35. Haley Thiele - 72-68-78-218 (+2)
T72. Vanessa Bouvet - 73-76-75-224 (+8)
T72. Noor Ahmed - 77-74-73-224 (+8)
*T81. Megan Whittaker - 77-74-76-227 (+11)
*competed as an individual outside the Nebraska lineup