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.