Oct. 16, 2001

Lawrence, Kan. – The Notre Dame women’s golf team finally got to play at the University of Kansas’ Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational and finished ninth in the 17-team field. The Irish carded a 325 total in the only round played in the scheduled 54-hole tournament. Monday’s 36 holes were cancelled due to heavy rain at the par-72, 5,800-yard Alvamar Golf Club.

Notre Dame finished 19 strokes behind tournament champion Oklahoma as the Sooners fired an 18-over par team total of 306. That gave them a three-stroke win over second-place Iowa State (309). Kansas State and Northern Iowa tied for third with 311 and James Madison rounded out the top five with a 319.

Sophomore Shannon Byrne (Arlington Heights, Ill.) shot her best round of the fall with a six-over par 78 and was Notre Dame’s top individual finisher. Byrne’s 78 put her in a tie for 14th, six strokes behind individual medalist Julie Hary of Northern Iowa who checked in with an even-par 72 for the day to lead the field of 93.

Hary finished a stroke ahead of Oklahoma’s Lisa Meldrum who had a one-over par 73. Lisa Meshke of Iowa State and Wendy Martin of Oklahoma tied for third with 74’s and while the Sooner’s Hope Edge gave Oklahoma three of the top five finishers with a 75.

Following Byrne for the Irish was junior Terri Taibl (Elm Grove, Wis.) who tied for 21st with a 79. Senior Kristin McMurtrie (Calgary, Alb.) and sophomore Rebecca Rogers (Alpharetta, Ga.) tied for 48th with 84’s and freshman Karen Lotta (Los Angeles, Calif.) rounded out the Notre Dame contingent with an 86 which tied her for 65th.

The Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational was the final scheduled tournament for the Notre Dame women’s golf team in the fall. They Irish will return to play in the spring.

FINAL TEAM RESULTS (18-hole totals): 1. Oklahoma 306, 2. Iowa State 309, t3. Kansas State 311, Northern Iowa 311, 5. James Madison 319, t6. College of Charleston 320, Bradley University 320, 8. Oral Roberts 324, 9. Notre Dame 325, 10. Kansas 328, 11. Wichita State 331, 12. Eastern Michigan 332, 13. Creighton 336, 14. Youngstown State 337, 15. Cincinnati 342, 16. Missouri-Kansas City 352, 17. Evansville 357.

TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (of 93): 1. Julie Hary (Northern Iowa) 72, 2. Lisa Meldrum (Oklahoma) 73, t3. Lisa Meshke (Iowa State) 74, Wendy Martin (Oklahoma) 74, 5. Hope Edge (Oklahoma) 75, t6. Jessica Lewis (James Madison) 76, Karla Schuldt (Northern Iowa) 76, Sapna Patel (Charleston) 76, t9. Laura Wells (Iowa State) 77, Christine Boucher (Kansas State) 77, Heather Rose (Kansas) 77, Allison Johnson (Oklahoma) 77, Jenna Cannon (Bradley) 77.

NOTRE DAME INDIVIDUALS (of 93): t14. Shannon Byrne 78, t21. Terri Taibl 79, t48. Kristin McMurtrie 84, Rebecca Rogers 84, t65. Karen Lotta 86.