Kelli Ann Strand claimed her fourth top-10 finish of the season, while Lindsey Thiele added her second top-20 showing of the spring to lead the Nebraska women's golf team to an eighth-place finish at the Florida State Match Up in Tallahassee on Saturday.
Strand, who entered the final round in second after back-to-back rounds of 67 on Friday, settled for a 78 (+6) on Saturday to tie for ninth individually in a 78-player field. The sophomore from Challis, Idaho, finished with a 54-hole score of 212 (-4) on the 6,250-yard layout at the Seminole Legacy Golf Club. It was her eighth top-15 finish for the Huskers in nine tournaments in 2023-24.
Thiele added a tie for 20th after firing Nebraska's best round with a 71 (-1) on Saturday. The senior from Wahoo, Neb., closed with a three-round total of 217 (+1).
Junior Miu Takahashi (Nasu-Machi, Japan) contributed a top-30 finish, managing a 76 on Saturday to finish in a tie for 28th at 220 (+4).
With Strand leading the way, the Huskers closed the opening day of the 54-hole tournament in a tie for fifth in the 14-team field at even-par 576 after rounds of 284 and 292. The Huskers are trailing only top-25 teams in No. 19 Duke (-31), the hosts from No. 20 Florida State (-17), No. 25 Georgia (-11) and Baylor (-9). The Huskers are tied with No. 35 Alabama.
Strand, a sophomore from Challis, Idaho, began the day with a double-bogey on No. 9, before bouncing back with three birdies over the next five holes to surge to one-under-par. She notched five straight pars before finding her fourth birdie of the round on hole No. 2. After three straight pars, Strand ended the round on fire with three consecutive birdies on No. 6, 7 and 8 to end the round at 67 (-5).
Freshman Arden Louchheim notched Nebraska's No. 3 score of the day with a 77 in the final round, as the Huskers settled for a 302 (+14) over the final 18 holes. Louchheim took 65th at 232 (+16), while senior Michaela Vavrova closed with a 79 to round out the Husker contingent in a tie for 61st at 231 (+15). The Big Red, which opened with a 284 (-4), before adding a second-round 292 (+4) finished eighth in a 14-team field with an 878 (+14).
No. 19 Duke cruised to the team title with one-over-par 289 on Saturday to finish at 834 (-30). The hosts from No. 20 Florida State closed 10 shots behind the Blue Devils at 844 (-20), while No. 25 Georgia took third at 859 (-5).
Nebraska will take nearly a month off from competition before closing the regular season at the Lady Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio, April 13-14.
Florida State Match Up
March 15-16, 2024
Tallahassee, Florida
Seminole Legacy Golf Club (Par 72, 6,250 Yards)
Final Team Results
1. Duke (19) - 281-264-289=834 (-30)
2. Florida State (20) - 278-281-285=844 (-20)
3. Georgia (25) - 282-283-294=859 (-5)
4. Baylor (56) - 284-283-294=861 (-3)
5. SMU (23) - 293-285-293=871 (+7)
6. Ohio State (39) - 291-290-293=874 (+10)
7. Alabama (35) - 289-287-300=876 (+12)
8. Nebraska (69) - 284-292-302=878 (+14)
T9. Kansas (37) - 298-292-301=891 (+27)
T9. Indiana (73) - 286-297-308=891 (+27)
11. Coastal Carolina (91) - 308-300-307=915 (+51)
12. Campbell (94) - 298-304-314=916 (+52)
13. Delaware (100) - 307-300-316=923 (+59)
14. Dayton State - 306-305-318=929 (+65)
Final Individual Results
1. Katie Li, Duke - 66-66-72=204 (-12)
T2. Lottie Woad, Florida State - 70-68-69=207 (-9)
T2. Rosie Belsham, Baylor - 70-66-71=207 (-9)
4. Mackenzie Lee, SMU - 69-68-71=208 (-8)
5. Caterina Don, Georgia - 72-69-69=210 (-6)
T6. Mirabel Ting, Florida State - 71-71-69=211 (-5)
T6. Emily Odwin, SMU - 71-67-73=211 (-5)
T6. Sera Hasegawa, Baylor - 71-67-73=211 (-5)
T9. Emma McMyler, Duke - 72-68-72=212 (-4)
T9. Alice Hodge, Florida State - 66-73-73=212 (-4)
T9. Anne Chen, Duke - 73-65-74=212 (-4)
T9. Kelli Ann Strand, Nebraska - 67-67-78=212 (-4)
Nebraska Individuals
T9. Kelli Ann Strand - 67-67-78=212 (-4)
T20. Lindsey Thiele - 70-76-71=217 (+1)
T28. Miu Takahashi - 71-73-76=220 (+4)
T61. Michaela Vavrova - 76-76-79=231 (+15)
65. Arden Louchheim - 76-79-77=232 (+16)