Rio Grande, Puerto Rico - Kate Smith closed with a final-round 74 to lead the Nebraska women's golf team at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic on Tuesday morning.
Smith, a senior from Detroit Lakes, Minn., finished the three-day tournament with a 54-hole score of 223 (76-73-74) in a tie for 31st.
Sophomore Kirsten Baete (Beatrice, Neb.) put together Nebraska's best round of the day with a one-over-par 73 on the 6,164-yard layout of the Rio Mar Country Club River Course to close her tournament with a three-round total of 225 (76-76-73) in a tie for 43rd.
"I am very proud of Kirsten and Kate," Nebraska Coach Lisa Johnson said. "They both had a solid start to their spring season."
Sophomore Megan Whittaker (Elkhorn, Neb.) rebounded with a solid final round to produce Nebraska's No. 3 score of the day with a five-over-par 77, while Wahoo native Haley Thiele put up NU's fourth score with an 83.
As a team, Nebraska finished in a tie for 14th with Maryland at 914 after settling for a final-round 307.
Freshman Leah Herzog, who entered the final day of the tournament in 12th place after rounds of 72 and 73, struggled with a hip injury on Tuesday that limited her effectiveness. Herzog managed a final-round 85 to tie for 56th (230). Thiele (244, 79th) and Whittaker (257, 83rd) rounded out the Husker contingent.
Northwestern captured the team title by posting the tournament's best round with an eight-under-par 280 on Tuesday. The Wildcats finished with a three-round total of 864, six stroke ahead of second-place Texas Tech (870). Virginia Tech finished third at 871, while Oklahoma State took fourth (873). Kentucky (875) rounded out the top five in the team standings.
Northwestern's Irene Kim took medalist honors with a 54-hole score of 207 (69-71-67) to finish at nine-under-par. North Carolina State's Monika Hartl finished third at 208, while Northwestern's Kelly Sim, Texas Tech's Sofia Garcia and Virginia Tech's Alyssa Montgomery finished in a three-way tie for third at 210 (-6).
Nebraska returns to action at the Westbrook Spring Invitational at Peoria, Ariz., Feb. 23-24.
Lady Puerto Rico Classic
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Rio Mar Country Club (River Course)
Par 72, 6,164 Yards
Feb. 9-11, 2020
Final Team Standings
1. Northwestern - 292-292-280-864 (E)
2. Texas Tech - 296-283-291-870 (+6)
3. Virginia Tech - 288-295-288-871 (+7)
4. Oklahoma State - 285-296-292-873 (+9)
5. Kentucky - 291-295-289-875 (+11)
6. Purdue - 288-296-293-877 (+13)
7. Augusta - 299-300- 282-881 (+17)
8. Georgia - 292-295-296 -883 (+19)
9. NC State - 301-291-292-884 (+20)
10. East Carolina - 306-292-290-888 (+24)
11. Iowa State - 304-303-298-905 (+41)
T12. Indiana - 311-300-296-907 (+43)
T12. TCU - 309-292-306-907 (+43)
T14. Nebraska - 304-303-307-914 (+50)
T14. Maryland - 309-301-304-914 (+50)
Final Individual Results
1. Irene Kim, Northwestern - 69-71-67-207 (-9)
2. Monika Hartl, NC State - 73-68-67-208 (-8)
T3. Kelly Sim, Northwestern - 72-69-69-210 (-6)
T3. Alyssa Montgomery, Virginia Tech - 72-68-70-210 (-6)
T5. Sofia Garcia, Texas Tech - 73-69-68-210 (-6)
6. Anni Eisenhut, Indiana - 72-70-69-211 (-5)
7. Isabella Fiero, Oklahoma State - 70-75-70-215 (-1)
T8. Sifat Sagoo, Purdue - 68-74-74-216 (E)
T8. Rikke Svejgaard, Kentucky - 71-75-70-216 (E)
T8. Gala Dumez, Texas Tech - 73-69-74-216 (E)
Nebraska Individuals
T34. Kate Smith - 76-73-74-223 (+7)
T43. Kirsten Baete - 76-76-73-225 (+9)
T56. Leah Herzog - 72-73-85-230 (+14)
79. Haley Thiele - 80-81-83-244 (+28)
83. Megan Whittaker - 87-93-77-257 (+41)
Kirsten Baete and Kate Smith produced Nebraska's top performances at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic.