Sept. 25, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Notre Dame junior Shane Smith kept up her
impressive play by opening with a 76 in first-day action Saturday at the
annual Michigan State/Mary Fossum Women's Golf Invitational.
The 54-hole tournament was scheduled for two rounds of play on Sunday but
the second round was halted due to darkness. The second round will resume
early Sunday morning, followed by the third and final round.
The Notre Dame women stood in a three-way tie for eighth in the 18-team
field, after a first-round total of 321 in the play-six, count-four format.
Irish freshman Priscilla Ro again posted a solid round, earning a share of
26th in the 108-player field with an opening-round 79. Sophomore Kristin
McMurtrie (82) and junior Danielle Villarosa (84) also counted to the
Irish team score while junior Mary Klein-who missed the season-opening Lady
Northern Invitational due to a neck injury-struggled to find her form with
a round of 87. Sophomore Lauren Fuchs (94) rounded out the Irish contingent.
Smith made the turn at even-par 36 on the par-72, 5,780-yard Forest Akers
West Golf Course before adding a 40 on the back nine for a four-over 76.
Smith-who led the Irish with a 233 at the Lady Northern-was one of eight
players tied for sixth place after the first round, just two strokes out of
third place. Kent's Jan Downing and Indiana's Sami Montgomery were the
early leaders, after carding first-round 72s.
Indiana held down first place in the team competition, which includes most
of the top teams in the Midwest. The Hoosiers posted a first-round 298,
good for an eight-stroke cushion over Kent. Northwestern (307) and Ohio
(308) also headed in to the second round within range of first place.
Notre Dame headed into the second round tied with Michigan and Penn State
for eighth place at 321, just one stroke behind host MSU, four behind
Wisconsin and six back of Minnesota.
The Irish continued to play without senior captain Andrea Klee, who remains
out indefinitely with a forearm injury suffered during the summer of '99.
TEAM STANDINGS (18 of 54 holes):
1. Indiana 298
2. Kent 306
3. Northwestern 307
4. Ohio University 308
5. Minnesota 315
6. Wisconsin 317
7. Michigan State 320
8. Notre Dame 321
Michigan 321
Penn State 321
11. Illinois 322
12. James Madison 324
13. Cincinnati 325
Kansas State 325
15. Illinois State 328
16. Toledo 329
17. Northern
Illinois 338
18. Western Michigan 342
TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 108):
1. Jan Dowling (KENT) 72
Sami Montgomery (IU) 72
3. Natalie Tucker (IU) 74
5. Cheryl Tooshkenig (KENT) 74
5. Colleen Kiely (NW) 75
6. Theresa McDermott (IU) 76
Shane Smith (ND) 76
Allie Bloomquist (WIS) 76
Heather Fueger (OHIO) 76
Meghan Adams (JMU) 76
Sulee Sovesky (OHIO) 76
Emily Gilley (NW) 76
Inga Snyder (IU) 76
OTHER NOTRE DAME SCORES:
26. Priscilla Ro 79
53. Kristin McMurtrie 82
69. Danielle Villarosa 84
81. Mary Klein 87
104. Lauren Fuchs 94.
