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.