Kate Smith fired a final-round 71 (-1) to finish in a tie for second individually at the rain-shortened Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational in Sammamish, Wash., on Wednesday afternoon.
The senior from Detroit Lakes, Minn., finished the two-day tournament with a 36-hole score of 148 (77-71). The 60-player field faced a 5,980-yard, par-72 layout at the Sahalee Country Club. The Huskers and the rest of the field also faced heavy rains on Tuesday, forcing the elimination of 18 holes that were supposed to be played as part of two rounds on the opening day of the tournament.
Smith's final round, which included an eagle on the 340-yard, par-4 third hole, and back-to-back birdies on No. 15 and No. 16, was one of only three rounds played better than par by the 60 players in the field over two days. She finished four strokes back of individual medalist Nishtha Madan from Sacramento State, who closed with a 36-hole score of 144 (E), including the tournament's best round with a 70 on Wednesday. Brigham Young Allysha Mae Mateo tied Smith for second place at 148 (75-73).
"Kate played really great golf today," Nebraska Coach Lisa Johnson said. "To be one-under on this course was really impressive. I wish she would have gotten one more round because she really settled in and got comfortable with the course today."
Smith, who notched the 15th top-10 tournament finish of her career and her second in three tournaments this fall, matched the best tournament finish of her career. She also helped the Huskers climb to a seventh-place team finish in the 11-team field. The Huskers finished with a team score of 310 in the second round, while closing the tournament at 627 (+51) in challenging scoring conditions over the two days in Sammamish.
Brigham Young played its way to the team title with a final-round 301 (+13) - the best round by any team in the tournament on Wednesday. The Cougars finished with a two-day total of 607 (+31). BYU won by a single stroke over UC Davis (608), while Rutgers and Sacramento State tied for third (609).
Husker Megan Whittaker continued the upward climb of her game. The sophomore from Elkhorn, Neb., notched the best tournament finish of her collegiate career by tying for 16th at 154 (79-75). It was Whittaker's first career top-20 finish.
True freshman Leah Herzog added a tie for 36th with a two-round total of 159 (79-80). Hannah Thiele and Jessica Haraden rounded out the Husker contingent.
The Huskers take three weeks off from competition before concluding the fall season at the Battle at the Beach in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico, Nov. 1-3. The tournament host in Mexico is TCU.
Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational
Oct. 8-9, 2019
Sahalee Country Club (Sammamish, Wash.)
Par 72, 5,980 Yards
Final Team Results
1. Brigham Young - 306-301-607 (+31)
2. UC Davis - 297-311-608 (+32)
T3. Rutgers - 305-304-609 (+33)
T3. Sacramento State - 305-306-611 (+35)
5. Washington - 304-318-622 (+46)
6. San Francisco - 312-311-623 (+47)
7. Nebraska - 317-310-627 (+51)
8. Cal Poly - 317-311-628 (+52)
T9. Long Beach State - 310-321-631 (+55)
T9. Seattle - 310-321-631 (+55)
11. Idaho - 310-325-635 (+59)
Final Individual Results
1. Nishtha Madan, Sacramento State - 74-70-144 (E)
T2. Kate Smith, Nebraska - 77-71-148 (+4)
T2, Allysha Mae Mateo, Brigham Young - 75-73-148 (+4)
T4. Samantha Gong, San Francisco - 78-71-149 (+5)
T4. Anna-Maria Diederichs, Rutgers - 75-74-149 (+5)
T4. Jackie Lucena, UC Davis - 74-75-149 (+5)
T7. Naomi Soifua, Brigham Young - 77-73-150 (+6)
T7. Elizabeth Scholtes, Cal Poly - 77-73-150 (+6)
T9. Annick Haczkiewicz, Brigham Young - 78-73-151 (+7)
T9. Corinne Viden, Sacramento State - 76-75-151 (+7)
T9. Maeve Rossi, Rutgers - 75-76-151 (+7)
Nebraska Individuals
T2. Kate Smith - 77-71-148 (+4)
T16. Megan Whittaker - 79-75-154 (+10)
T36. Leah Herzog - 79-80-159 (+15)
T47. Hannah Thiele - 82-85-167 (+23)
55. Jessica Haraden - 85-84-169 (+25)
