Husker women golfers in 20th place at NCAA tourney after three rounds

Friday, May 26, 2006

Cambridge's

Sara Sackett

tied for 89th

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Junior Chrissie McArdle fired her best round of the tournament with a three-over-par 75 to lead the Nebraska women's golf team in the third round of the NCAA Championships at the Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday.

McArdle, a native of Eden Prairie, Minn., played solid golf from start to finish on Thursday, producing two birdies, 11 pars and five bogeys. She was one-over through her first nine holes, and two shots over after making the turn.

All five Huskers shot scores between 75 and 78 on Thursday, from top-to-bottom their best round of golf on the par-72, 6,203-yard Scarlet Course.

However, NU's third-round team total of 306 was one shot off its 305 in the second round. Through 54 holes, the Huskers moved up two spots into 20th place at 922 (311-305-306).

The Huskers are within striking distance of the best finish by a Big 12 Conference team at the 2006 NCAA Championships after moving ahead of Big 12 champion Texas A&M on Thursday's leaderboard.

The Aggies struggled in the third round with the second-highest team total of the day with a 28-over-par 316 to fall two shots behind the Huskers into a tie for 22nd place.

NU also gained two strokes on Big 12 runner-up Oklahoma State in the third round, as the Cowgirls managed a 308 to sit in a tie for 18th with UNLV at 918, just four strokes ahead of the Huskers.

As a team, Nebraska is poised to finish with the best four-round score at the NCAA Championships in school history. The Huskers need to shoot a 316 or better in Friday's final round to eclipse the 1,239 team total produced at the 2000 NCAA Championships.

Nebraska coach Robin Krapfl said the Huskers' missed several opportunities to climb the leaderboard on Thursday.

"We got off to a good start and we were in position to gain some ground," Krapfl said. "Then we gave some shots away and made some mental mistakes that turned a potentially great round for us into just a good round. We still played solid golf for the most part, what we had some chances to put together a much better round."

Senior Stephanie Ruiz, who entered the third of four days of competition at the NCAA Championships in a tie for 15th place, started strong on the back nine, shooting one-over par through her first nine holes with eight pars and a bogey on the ninth hole.

She added five more pars and a pair of bogeys over the next seven holes before running into major trouble on No. 8, taking a triple bogey, before adding a par to conclude her round with a 78. Ruiz enters Friday's final round in a tie for 37th at 226 (72-76-78).

Sophomore Elli Brown added a 77 on Thursday to pull within one stroke of Ruiz on the leaderboard in a tie for 45th at 227 (76-74-77).  Brown, a native of Meridian, Idaho, and Ruiz are both within striking distance of finishing with the best four-round total by any Husker golfer in history.

Elizabeth Bahensky fired a 301 over four rounds at the Crosswater Golf Club in Sunriver, Ore., at the 2000 NCAA Championships.

Ruiz needs a 75 on Friday to match that score, while Brown needs a 74.

The next best total in school history came with All-American Sarah Sasse's 307 at the 2003 NCAA Championships.

While Ruiz and Brown slipped a bit on the leaderboard Thursday, McArdle and senior Sara Sackett continued to move up the individual standings.

McArdle jumped 15 spots into the top 100 for the first time at the tournament, as her 75 moved her into a tie for 95th at 235 (82-78-75).

Sackett, a Cambridge native, also moved up eight spots into a tie for 89th among the 126 golfers in the tournament, after producing her best round of the tournament with a 76.

Sackett owns a three-round total of 234 (81-77-76).

Along with McArdle and Sackett shooting their best rounds of the tournament, sophomore Allison Stewart contributed her top performance of the NCAA Championships with a 78. Stewart is in 125th (87-88-78-253).

No. 1 Duke took over the top spot on the leaderboard Thursday for the first time in the tournament with a one-under-par 287.

The Blue Devils (297-292-287-876) own a 13-shot lead over second-place USC.

The Women of Troy managed a 10-over-par 298 to climb into second place at 889, while Pepperdine finished the day in third at 894.

The Waves' Eileen Vargas continues to lead the individual standings with her two-under-par 214 through three rounds.

Vargas managed a three-over-par 75 on Thursday.

Vargas sits three strokes in front Duke's Jennie Lee, USC's Dewi Schreefel and Stanford's Jennifer Tangtiphaiboontana, who are all tied at one-over-par 217.

The NCAA Championships conclude with the final 18 holes on Friday at the Scarlet Course.

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