April 16, 2000

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Notre Dame women's golf team finished in eighth place at the Iowa Invitational, closing with a round of 334 for a three-round total of 981 at the par-73 Finkbine Golf Course.

Junior captain Shane Smith posted her fourth team-best finish of the 1999-2000 season, carding a final-round 81 for a 236 total and a share of 18th in the 50-player field (she shot 77-78 in Saturday's action).

Sophomore Kristin McMurtrie (86-79-81) matched Smith in the final round (for a 246 total) while junior Mary Klee closed with an 85 for a 248 (she shot 80-83 on the first day). Junior Danielle Villarosa (88-80-87/255) and sophomore Lauren Fuchs (86-81-91/258) rounded out Notre Dame's five-player starting contingent.

Two Irish freshmen competed as individual entrants, with Shelby Strong posting a 263 total (85-90-88) in her first intercollegiate tournament while Terri Taibl finished at 265 (88-92-85).

The host team rallied to the team title with a final-round 312, edging first-day leader Michigan (299-306-319) by two strokes, 922-924 (Iowa shot 303-307 on Saturday).

Wisconsin's Allie Bloomquist made up 10 strokes to claim medalist honors, carding a final-round 70 for a 225 total that nipped Michigan's Kim Benedict (72-73-81) by a single stroke (Bloomquist shot 75-80 on the first day).

NOTES: Smith has counted in all nine of her spring rounds and leads the Irish with an 81.56 stroke average during the four spring tournaments ... McMurtrie (8 rounds counted) is averaging 82.11 for the spring, followed by Klein (82.56, 7 rounds counted) ... Villarosa (83.89, 9 total rounds, 6-of-7 counted) and Fuchs (84.67, 9 total rounds, 4-of-6 counted) also have turned in solid springs while playing in all four tournaments ... Smith has counted in all 18 of her rounds during 1999-2000 and owns an 80.28 season stroke average, still within range of the Irish record of 79.50 (set by Katie King, in 1997-98) ... Smith would need to shoot 224 (which would tie the ND record) at the season-ending Ohio State Invitational Lady Buckeye Invitational to break King's single-season stroke average record (Smith's current 80.28 average ranks as the third-best season in Irish history, with King's 80.17 in '96-'97 ranking second) ... Smith (who had one DQ round last fall) also has a chance to join Kathy Phares ('92-'93, 21-of-21) as the only Irish women's golfers ever to play in 21-plus rounds in a season and count to the team score in each round she completed (King counted in 20-of-20 in '95-'96, as did Phares in '90-'92-representing the only other "perfect" seasons in terms of counted rounds) ... McMurtrie has counted to the team score in 18 of her 19 rounds during 1999-2000, with an 81.53 average (which would rank seventh in ND history) ... other 1999-2000 averages include: Klein (82.06, 13-of-16 counted), freshman Priscilla Ro (82.92, 9-of-12), Villarosa (84.77, 17 total rounds, 11-of-15), junior Becca Schloss (85.09, 11 total rounds, 3-of-7) , Fuchs (85.38, 16 total rounds, 4-of-10), and Taibl (87.89, 9 total rounds, 2-of-4) ... Klein's career average now sits at 81.47 (on pace to best King's record of 82.10, from 1994-98) and she has counted in 50 of 62 career rounds ... other career numbers: Smith (82.70-currently sixth in ND history-with 40 total rounds, 32-of-38 counted), McMurtrie (83.26, 38 total rounds, 27-of-33) and Villarosa (84.97, 37 total rounds, 15-of-23).

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS: 1. Iowa 303-307-312/922, 2. Michigan 299-306-319/924, 3. Northwestern 307-299-322/928, 4. Wisconsin 302-318-317/937, 5. Kent 310-307-323/940, 6. Northern Iowa 314-325-332/971, Iowa State 324-313-334/971, 8. Notre Dame 329-318-334/981.

TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 50): 1. Allie Bloomquist (WIS) 75-80-70/225, 2. Kim Benedict (MICH) 72-73-81/226, 3. Cathy Ennis (ISU) 74-74-80/228, 4. Jan Dowling (KENT) 76-76-77/229, Emily Gilley (NW) 75-72-82/229, Andrea Meeker (WIS) 74-75-80/229, Kristen Beystehner (NW) 79-75-75/229.

NOTRE DAME SCORES: 18. Shane Smith 77-78-81/236, 29. Kristin McMurtrie 86-79-81/246, 31. Mary Klein 80-83-85/248, 39. Danielle Villarosa 88-80-87/255, 42. Lauren Fuchs 86-81-91/258, 47. Shelby Strong (indiv.) 85-90-88/263, 48. Terri Taibl (indiv.) 88-92-85/265.