Huskers Slip on Final Day in Kansas

The Nebraska women’s golf team struggled through its roughest day of the fall campaign, slipping to an eighth-place finish at the 15-team Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational in Lawrence, Kan., on Tuesday.

The Huskers were challenged by cool and windy conditions that forced slow play and a second round suspended by darkness on Monday, before waiting through a frost delay to complete the second round on Tuesday. After closing the second round, Nebraska was one of the last teams off the tees to start the third round, as teams with scheduled flights began their final rounds, which were cut short to just nine holes because of travel considerations.

Nebraska, which entered Tuesday in fourth place, slipped to eighth in the final standings. The Huskers completed the second round at 307, but the nine-hole third round on the par-72, 6,125-yard layout at the Lawrence Country Club sent the Huskers down the team leader board. NU finished the final nine holes in 165 and no Husker broke 40.

“We played a bit uncharacteristically today for us,” Nebraska Head Coach Jeanne Sutherland said. “It was a day of adversity and instead of playing to position we multiplied our errors. We will take a lot from today and bounce back in Miami in two weeks.”

Graduate student Megan Whittaker (Elkhorn, Neb.), who entered Tuesday in a tie for second, closed out a 74 (+2) in the second round but settled for a 42 (+6) over the final nine holes to slip into a tie for 15th as Nebraska’s top individual finisher at 190 (+10) over 27 holes.

Junior Lindsey Thiele (Wahoo, Neb.) and freshman Kelli Ann Strand (Challis, Idaho) added ties for 26th at 195 (+15), while sophomore Miu Takahashi (Japan) was Nebraska’s No. 4 finisher in a tie for 47th at 199 (+19) over 27 holes.

Sophomore Andrea Velez (Colombia) rounded out Nebraska’s lineup in a tie for 56th at 200 (+20), while junior Michaela Vavrova finished just one shot back of Velez at 201 (+21) in a tie for 60th while competing as an individual outside NU’s lineup.

Kent State claimed the team title with a 27-hole score of 741 (+21), eight strokes better than runner-up Sam Houston at 749 (+29). Arizona took third at 758 (+38), while the hosts from Kansas claimed fourth at 761 (+41). Big Ten foes Wisconsin (765) and Minnesota (769) took the No. 5 and 6 spots ahead of Tulane (775) in seventh. Nebraska finished just one stroke back of the Green Wave at 776 (+56).

Kent State’s Mayka Hoogeboom (71-72-39=182, +2) and Jennifer Gu (71-75-37=183, +3) took the top two spots on the individual leader board, while Wisconsin’s Emily Lauterbach and Sam Houston’s Jenn David tied for third at 184 (+4) over 27 holes.

Nebraska will close its fall campaign by traveling to the Hurricane Invitational (Oct. 31-Nov. 1) at the Biltmore Golf Club in Miami, Fla.

Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational

Lawrence CC (Par 72, 6,125 Yards)

Lawrence, Kan.

Oct. 17-18, 2022

Final Team Results (27 Holes)

1. Kent State – 289-298-154=741 (+21)

2. Sam Houston – 300-296-153=749 (+29)

3. Arizona – 308-300-150=758 (+38)

4. Kansas – 304-309-148=761 (+41)

5. Wisconsin – 309-304-153=765 (+45)

6. Minnesota – 300-319-150=769 (+49)

7. Tulane – 320-303-152=775 (+55)

8. Nebraska – 304-307-165=776 (+56)

9. New Mexico State – 320-311-157=788 (+68)

T10. Washington State – 320-312-160=792 (+72)

T10. Boston College – 324-311-157=792 (+72)

T10. UTSA – 327-306-159=792 (+72)

13. Notre Dame – 317-308-169=794 (+74)

14. Brigham Young – 317-317-161=795 (+75)

15. Iowa – 328-319-158=805 (+85)

Final Individual Results (27 Holes)

1. Mayka Hoogeboom, Kent State – 71-72-39=182 (+2)

2. Jennifer Gu, Kent State – 71-75-37=183 (+3)

T3. Emily Lauterbach, Wisconsin – 73-75-36=184 (+4)

T3. Jenn David, Sam Houston – 71-74-39=184 (+4)

5. Johanna Ebner, Kansas – 76-73-36=185 (+5)

T6. Noramol Nuchsila, Kent State – 70-76-40=186 (+6)

T6. Isabella McCauley, Minnesota – 74-74-38=186 (+6)

T6. Gia Feliciano, Wisconsin – 73-74-40=186 (+6)

T9. Gile Bite Starkute, Arizona – 72-78-37=187 (+7)

T9. Jennifer Herbst, Sam Houston – 78-74-35=187 (+7)

T9. Carla Bernat, Tulane – 77-73-37=187 (+7)

Nebraska Individuals (27 Holes)

T15. Megan Whittaker – 74-74-42=190 (+10)

T26. Lindsey Thiele – 78-74-43=195 (+15)

T26. Kelli Ann Strand – 75-80-40=195 (+15)

T47. Miu Takahashi – 80-79-40=199 (+19)

T56. Andrea Velez – 77-80-43=200 (+20)

*T60. Michaela Vavrova – 83-78-40=201 (+21)

*competing as an individual outside Nebraska’s lineup