Kelli Ann Strand fired an even-par 216 over three rounds to lead the Nebraska women’s golf team with a tie for 12th individually at the Lady Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday.
Strand, a true freshman from Challis, Idaho, opened the tournament on Saturday with a 70 (-2) on the 6,319-yard layout of the Scarlet Course, before adding an even-par 72 in Saturday’s second round. She closed the tournament with a 74 (+2) in challenging scoring conditions in Sunday’s final round, missing a top-10 finish by just one stroke. Strand’s performance marked her eighth top-20 individual finish of the season.
Strand’s finish in the 87-player field produced a bright spot for a Husker squad that struggled on the Scarlet Course. Nebraska settled for 12th in a 14-team field that was loaded with 13 Big Ten teams in preparation for the upcoming Big Ten Championship (April 21-23) in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sophomore Andrea Velez notched Nebraska’s No. 2 individual finish in a tie for 51st at 228 (+12). Velez was playing out of the No. 6 spot in a six-count-four scoring lineup, which also will be in play at the conference tournament.
Sophomore Miu Takahashi tied for 54th at 229 (+13), while graduate student Megan Whittaker tied for 61st at 232 (+16), snapping a streak of 18 consecutive top-35 individual finishes . Lindsey Thiele tied for 75th at 236 (+20), while Michaela Vavrova took 77th at 237 (+21).
The hosts from Ohio State ran away with the team title on their home course. The No. 25 Buckeyes finished at 854 (-10) to defeat runner-up and No. 34 Michigan State by nine strokes. The Spartans closed at 863 (-1). Penn State took third at 864 (E), while No. 33 Maryland finished fourth at 867 (+3) and No. 46 Purdue rounded out the top five at 871 (+5).
Michigan’s Monet Chun and Maryland’s Patricie Mackova shared medalist honors with three-round totals of 208 (-8). Ohio State’s Caley McGinty took third at 211 (-5), while Penn State’s Mathilde Delavallade and Sarah Willis tied for fourth at 212 (-4).
The Huskers will be back in action this week at the Big Ten Championship at the Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Pa., April 21-23.
Lady Buckeye Invitational
April 15-16,…
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