Peoria, Ariz. - Kate Smith tied for runner-up honors by posting the second-best 54-hole tournament score (203) in Nebraska women's golf history on Tuesday at the Westbrook Spring Invitational.
Smith, a senior from Detroit Lakes, Minn., led Nebraska with an even-par 72 in the final round to close the tournament at 13-under-par 203 (65-66-72). Her three-round tournament total on the par-72, 6,222-yard layout of the Vistas Course at the Westbrook Village Golf Club was just one stroke back of her own school-record 202 that she set at Westbrook in 2018.
Smith finished in a three-way tie for second alongside Oklahoma's Ellen Secor (68-69-66) and Mississippi State's Ashley Gilliam (69-67-67) at 203. The trio finished three strokes behind individual medalist Anna Zanusso from Denver, who finished at 200 (-16). Zanusso tied the NCAA record with an 11-under 61 in Sunday's second round.
Smith's strong performance helped the Huskers tie for 10th in a solid 16-team field at Westbrook. Nebraska, which managed a 293 (+5) on Monday, closed the tournament at even-par 864 through three rounds. The Huskers tied for 10th with Notre Dame and Missouri, while finishing ahead of Big Ten foes Wisconsin (869), Iowa (876) and Indiana (883).
Mississippi State captured the team title with a final-round 280 to finish at 832 (-32), one shot better than Oklahoma's 833 (-31), after the Sooners managed a 282 on Monday. The College of Charleston rounded out the top three at 847 (-17).
In addition to the strong play of Smith, the Huskers were bolstered by the return of Vanessa Bouvet to the lineup. The sophomore from Bretagne, France, tied for 26th in the individual standings with a three-round total of 215 (-1), which included a final-round 72.
Fifth-year senior Haley Thiele added a 75 on Monday to finish in a tie for 70th with a 54-hole score of 223 (+7), while freshman Leah Herzog tied for 73rd (225) after putting up Nebraska's third-best score of the day with a 74. Sophomore Kirsten Baete rounded out the Husker lineup in a tie for 76th at 227, including a final-round 76.
Redshirt freshman Nicole Hansen completed the Nebraska contingent with a final-round 75 while playing as an individual outside the Husker lineup in the first tournament of her collegiate career.
The Huskers return to action in Arizona to compete at the Clover Cup hosted by Notre Dame at the Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, March 13-15.
Westbrook Spring Invitational
Feb. 23-24, 2020
Peoria, Arizona
Westbrook Village Golf Club
Vistas Course (Par 72, 6,222 Yards)
Final Team Results
1. Mississippi State - 282-270-280-832 (-32)
2. Oklahoma - 277-274-282-833 (-31)
3. College of Charleston - 277-284-286-847 (-17)
4. Denver - 286-279-283-848 (-16)
8. Tennessee - 284-288-279-851 (-13)
5. UNLV - 285-283-287-855 (-9)
6. Kansas State - 284-286-288-858 (-6)
T9. Ohio State - 289-286-285-860 (-4)
14. Illinois - 289-290-282-861 (-3)
T10. Nebraska - 288-283-293-864 (E)
T10. Missouri - 285-290-289-864 (E)
T10. Notre Dame - 295-283-286 (E)
13. Wisconsin - 289-288-292-869 (+5)
14. UC Davis - 296-282-293-871 (+7)
15. Iowa - 296-289-291-876 (+12)
16. Indiana - 295-294-294-883 (+19)
Final Individual Results
1. Anna Zanusso, Denver - 69-61-70-200 (-16)
T2. Kate Smith, Nebraska - 65-66-72-203 (-13)
T2. Ashley Gilliam, Mississippi State - 69-67-67-203 (-13)
T2. Ellen Secor, Oklahoma - 68-69-66-203 (-13)
5. Lauren Beaudreau, Notre Dame - 68-71-67-206 (-10)
T6. Abbey Daniel, Mississippi State - 72-67-68-207 (-9)
T6. Hadley Walts, Tennessee - 70-71-66-207 (-9)
8. Libby Winans, Oklahoma - 64-73-71-208 (-8)
T9. Victoria Huskey, College of Charleston - 68-70-71-209 (-7)
T9. Bri Bolden, Missouri - 68-73-68-209 (-7)
T9. Aneka Seumanutafa, Ohio State - 70-68-71-209 (-7)
Nebraska Golfers
T2. Kate Smith - 65-66-72-203 (-13)
T22. Vanessa Bouvet - 73-70-72-215 (-1)
T70. Haley Thiele - 73-75-75-223 (+7)
T73. Leah Herzog - 77-74-74-225 (+9)
T26. Kirsten Baete - 78-73-76-227 (+11)
*90. Nicole Hansen - 83-85-75-243 (+27)
*competing as an individual outside Nebraska's lineup
Kate Smith finished at 13-under-par at the Westbrook Spring Invitational.