Kelli Ann Strand and Miu Takahashi both brought home individual top-10 finishes to power Nebraska to a runner-up team performance at the FAU Paradise Invitational in Boca Raton, Fla., on Tuesday.
Strand, a freshman from Challis, Idaho, fired three consecutive rounds better than par, capped by her final-round 71 on Tuesday to finish with a three-round total of 211 (-5) in sole possession of seventh place in the 75-golfer field. Takahashi, a sophomore from Nasu-Machi, Japan, settled for a 75 on Tuesday but still held on to share in a four-way tie for 10th at 214 (-2) for the tournament.
Graduate Megan Whittaker (Elkhorn, Neb.) added another top-20 showing for the Big Red with a final-round 73 to close the 54-hole event at 217 (+1) in a tie for 20th on the par-72, 6,204-yard layout of the Osprey Point Golf Club.
Junior Lindsey Thiele (Wahoo, Neb) contributed Nebraska's fourth counting score on Tuesday with a final-round 75. Thiele closed the tournament in a tie for 51st at 225 (+9), one stroke ahead of teammate Michaela Vavrova (Bojnice, Slovakia) who managed a 77 Tuesday to finish at 227 (+10).
The Huskers, who entered the final round in second behind only No. 19 Vanderbilt, held on for the runner-up finish despite windy conditions that elevated scores across the board. Nebraska closed with a 294 (+6) to finish with a three-round score of 860 (-4), which was two strokes better than third-place Missouri's 862 (-2) and nine shots better than fourth-place BYU's 869 (+5). South Florida and Kennesaw State rounded out the top five at 872 (+8), while Kansas State took seventh 873 (+9) in a 14-team field that featured 11 top-100 teams.
Vanderbilt used a three-round total of 835 (-29) to run away with the team, while Florida Atlantic's Letizia Bagnoli held on for the individual title with a 205 (-11), one shot ahead of Vandy's Virginie Ding at 206 (-10). Vanderbilt's Celina Sattelkau and Tillie Claggett and BYU's Allysha Mae Mateo tied for third at 209 (-7).
The Huskers will be back in action at the Westbrook Spring Invitational in Peoria, Ariz., Feb. 26-27.
FAU Paradise Invitational
Feb. 6-7, 2023
Boca Raton, Florida
Osprey Point Golf Club
Par 72, 6,204 Yards
Final Team Results
1. Vanderbilt - 275-279-281=835 (-29)
2. Nebraska - 284-282-294=860 (-4)
3. Missouri - 288-287-287=862 (-2)
4. Brigham Young - 285-296-288=869 (+5)
T5. South Florida - 277-290-305=872 (+8)
T5. Kennesaw State - 294-287-291=872 (+8)
7. Kansas State - 293-285-295=873 (+9)
8. Florida Atlantic - 288-285-305=878 (+14)
9. Mercer - 293-299-287=879 (+15)
T10. UTSA - 296-290-294=880 (+16)
T10. Colorado State - 293-296-291=880 (+16)
12. Wisconsin - 301-288-294=884 (+20)
13. Georgia Southern - 295-293-303=891 (+27)
14. Indiana - 297-300-305=902 (+38)
Final Individual Results
1. Letizia Bagnoli, Florida Atlantic - 66-66-73=205 (-11)
2. Virginie Ding, Vanderbilt - 66-70-70=206 (-10)
T3. Celina Sattelkau, Vanderbilt - 66-74-69=209 (-7)
T3. Tillie Claggett, Vanderbilt - 71-68-70=209 (-7)
T3. Allysha Mae Matteo, Brigham Young - 67-72-70=209 (-7)
6. Melanie Green, South Florida - 66-72-72=210 (-6)
7. Kelli Ann Strand, Nebraska - 70-70-71=211 (-5)
T8. Manon Donche-Gay, Kansas State - 72-70-70=212 (-4)
T8. Lynn Lim, Vanderbilt - 72-68-140 (-4)
T10. Camryn Carreon, UTSA - 71-72-71=214 (-2)
T10. Sophia Yoemans, Missouri - 71-69-74=214 (-2)
T10. Miu Takahashi, Nebraska - 69-70-75=214 (-2)
T10. Alizee Vidal, South Florida - 69-69-76=214 (-2)
Nebraska Individuals
7. Kelli Ann Strand - 70-70-71=211 (-5)
T10. Miu Takahashi - 69-70-75=214 (-2)
T20. Megan Whittaker - 73-71-73=217 (+1)
T51. Lindsey Thiele - 79-71-75=225 (+9)
T53. Michaela Vavrova - 72-77-77=226 (+10)
*T64. Andrea Velez - 76-74-80=230 (+14)
*competing as an individual outside Nebraska's lineup
Kelli Ann Strand helped the Huskers to a second-place finish at the FAU Paradise Invitational.