Kelly Ann Strand shot a one-under-par 71 in the final round to climb into a tie for 11th on the individual leader board on the closing day of the Briar's Creek Challenge in Johns Island, S.C.
Strand ended the 54-hole event with an even-par 216 (71-74-71) over three rounds on the par-72, 6,152-yard layout of the Briar's Creek Golf Club. The sophomore from Challis, Idaho finished five strokes behind a quartet of golfers who tied for the top spot at 211 (-5), including Michigan State's Katie Lu and Brooke Biermann, NC State's Lauren Olivares Leon and Isabel Sy from Illinois.
With Strand leading the way, the Huskers moved up one spot in the team standings during the final round to tie for 10th in a 17-team field filled with top-100 women's golf programs.
Miu Takahashi added a strong round with a 73 (+1) to finish the tournament in a tie for 29th in a 104-player field. The junior from Nasu-Machi, Japan closed with a three-round total of 221 (+5).
Senior Lindsey Thiele (Wahoo, Neb.) contributed to Nebraska's 294 (+6) team score in the final round with a 74 (+2), wrapping up the tournament in a tie for 67th at 229 (+13).
Fellow senior Michaela Vavrova (Bojnice, Slovakia) completed NU's score with a 76 (+4) to match Thiele in a tie for 67th at 229.
Freshman Arden Louchheim rounded out the Husker lineup with a final-round 78, closing the tournament in a tie for 80th at 231 (+15). Redshirt sophomore Brooke Bream, who was playing as an individual outside the Husker lineup, produced a 77 on Tuesday to tie for 95th at 238.
The Huskers will remain on the East Coast this week, traveling to the Florida State Match Up in Tallahassee. The three-day tournament opens on Friday, March 15 with tee times at 8 a.m. (CT). Live scoring will be available on Huskers.com through GolfStat.
Briar's Creek Challenge
March 11-12, 2024
Johns Island, South Carolina
Briar's Creek Golf Club (Par 72, 6,152 Yards)
Final Team Standings
1. Michigan State - 284-282-294=860 (-4)
2. NC State - 291-293-281=865 (+1)
3. Purdue - 294-293-284=871 (+7)
T4. Illinois - 284-288-301=873 (+9)
T4. UCF - 301-281-291=873 (+9)
6. Florida - 290-293-292=875 (+11)
7. Miami - 294-298-284=876 (+12)
8. Rutgers - 291-290-297=878 (+14)
9. College of Charleston - 305-293-289=887 (+23)
T10. Nebraska - 296-298-294=888 (+24)
T10 Maryland - 299-300-289=888 (+24)
12. Campbell - 285-306-299=890 (+26)
13. Boston College - 294-292-307=893 (+29)
14. Georgetown - 293-302-301=896 (+32)
15. Penn State - 305-296-297=898 (+34)
16. Wisconsin - 299-304-298=901 (+37)
17. Old Dominion - 297-309-315=921 (+57)
Final Individual Standings
T1. Lauren Olivares Leon, NC State - 74-69-68=211 (-5)
T1. Brooke Biermann, Michigan State - 68-70-73=211 (-5)
T1. Isabel Sy, Illinois - 67-70-74=211 (-5)
T1. Katie Lu, Michigan State - 69-67-75=211 (-5)
5. Ashley Kozlowski, Purdue - 73-72-67=212 (-4)
6. Jess Baker, UCF - 75-70-68=213 (-3)
T7. Momo Sugiyama, Purdue - 74-71-70-215 (-1)
T7. Leila Raines, Michigan State - 73-71-71=215 (-1)
T7. Pimpisa Sisutham, UCF - 74-68-73=215 (-1)
T7. Ines Archer, Florida - 70-70-75=215 (-1)
T11. Emma Schimpf, College of Charleston - 80-66-70=216 (E)
T11. Kelli Ann Strand, Nebraska - 71-74-71=216 (E)
Nebraska Individuals
T11. Kelli Ann Strand - 71-74-71=216 (E)
T29. Miu Takahashi - 74-74-73=221 (+5)
T67. Lindsey Thiele - 80-75-74=229(+13)
T67. Michaela Vavrova - 73-80-76=229 (+13)
T80. Arden Louchheim - 78-75-78=231 (+15)
*T95. Brooke Bream - 85-76-77=238 (+22)
* competing as an individual outside Nebraska's lineup