April 25, 1999

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Notre Dame women’s golf team maintained its 12th-place standing Sunday in final-round action of the Ohio State Invitational while sophomore Mary Klein (Kokomo, Ind.) led the Irish for the third straight tournament, tying for 31st in the 90-player field.

Klein led the Irish for the fourth time in 1998-99, carding an 82 on Sunday at the par-72, 6,037-yard OSU Scarlet Golf Course for a 242 total in the team’s final event of 1998-99. The finish gave Klein a team-best 82.73 season stroke average over the nine tournaments in ’98-’99, edging junior captain Andrea Klee (82.86) by just three total strokes over 22 rounds.

Notre Dame posted a final-round 326 in the play-six, count-four format, after turning in matching 332s on Saturday. The Irish finished three shots behind Winthrop and 34 shots ahead of Cincinnati. Ohio State took the team title, outdistancing Purdue by 22 strokes in the 15-team tournament.

Sophomore Shane Smith posted her best round of 1998-99 on Sunday, carding a 79 for a 243 total and a share of 34th. Smith finished the season ranked third on the team with an 84.68 overall stroke average.

Sophomore Danielle Villarosa (86-83-82) improved in each round for a 251 total, with the rest of the Irish contingent at OSU including Klee (87-84-86), freshman Kristin McMurtrie (89-85-86) and junior Beth Cooper (91-86-83).

NOTES: Notre Dame’s final 1998-99 team stroke average of 332.05 ranks fifth-best in the program’s 11-year history S Notre Dame’s other final 1998-99 individual stroke averages are as follows: McMurtrie (85.00), Villarosa (85.00), junior Brigid Fisher (85.13), sophomore Becca Schloss (86.25) and Cooper (86.42) S Klee and Klein each counted to the team score in 20 of 22 rounds, followed by: Smith (14 of 20), Fisher (10 of 13), McMurtrie (9 of 14), Cooper (11 of 19), Schloss (4 of 8) and Villarosa (3 of 5) S Klein’s career stroke average of 82.35 ranks third in the history of Notre Dame women’s golf, behind 1998 graduates Katie King (82.10) and Tracy Melby (82.23) S Klee ranks eighth in Irish history with an 83.91 career average S other career averages: Cooper (84.52), Schloss (84.76), Villarosa (85.22) and Fisher (86.40) S career rounds counted: Klee (48 of 61), Cooper (39 of 59), Klein (37 of 46), Fisher (12 of 20), Schloss (11 of 20) and Villarosa (4 of 8).

TEAM STANDINGS: 1. Ohio State 304-297-306/907; 2. Purdue 315-307-307/929; 3. Northwestern 312-309-310/931; 4. Pepperdine 309-313-311/933; 5. Michigan State 322-310-304/936; 6. Minnesota 322-318-315/955; 7. Wisconsin 320-316-320/956; 8. Kent 328-327-319/974; 9. Toledo 326-327-324/977; 10. Ohio 328-327-331/986; 11. Winthrop 327-335-325/987; 12. Notre Dame 332-332-326/990; 13. Cincinnati 346-351-327/1024; 14. Xavier 353-345-339/1037; 15. Bowling Green 354-344-350/1048.

TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 90): 1. Angela Blythe (PUR) 75-72-73/220; 2. Amber Amstutz (OSU) 74-72-75/221; 3. Natalie Mosher (OSU) 74-73-78/225; 4. Tamie Durdin (PEP) 74-75-78/227; 5. Emily Bastel (MSU) 78-79-71/228.

NOTRE DAME SCORES: 31. Mary Klein 79-81-82/242; 34. Shane Smith 89-84-79/243; 53. Danielle Villarosa 86-83-82/251; 61. Andrea Klee 87-84-86/257; 65. Kristin McMurtrie 89-85-86/260; 65. Beth Cooper 91-86-83/260.