April 22, 2000

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Notre Dame women’s golf team turned in a solid showing in first-day action at the Ohio State Lady Buckeye Invitational, as the Irish used matching rounds of 324 on Saturday to claim eighth place in the 16 team tournament, heading into Sunday’s final round at the par-72, 6,126-yard OSU Scarlet Course.

Notre Dame heads into the final round just three strokes behind Ohio University and six back of Wisconsin. Michigan State (314-310/624) leads the team competition, with a two-stroke cushion over the host school.

Junior Mary Klein led the Irish with rounds if 81-78, good for a 159 total and 21st place in the 99-player field. Junior captain Shane Smith is just one stroke behind Klein at 160 (81-79) while sophomore Kristin McMurtie (79-88/167) and Lauren Fuchs (83-84/167) turned in sold first-day total.

Junior Danielle Villarosa (89-83/172) and freshman Terri Taibl (96-92/188) rounded out Notre Dame’s six-player starting contingent, with freshmen Shelby Strong (83-85/168) and Priscilla Ro (85-85/170) posting steady rounds as individual entrants.

NOTES: With one round left to play in the 1999-2000 season, Smith continues to owns the team’s best stroke average for the spring (81.27) and for the entire season (80.25) … her season average ranks third-best in Irish history, behind Katie King’s 1997-98 (79.50) and ’96-’97 (80.17) averages … Smith needs to shoot 78 or lower in the final round at OSU to secure the second-best season stroke average in Irish history … Smith also has counted to the four-player team score in all 20 of her rounds played this season and could join Kathy Phares (’92-’93) as the only ND players ever to play in 21 rounds while counting in each (Phares was 21-for-21, with only two others ever posting “perfect” rounds-counted seasons: Phares was 20-for-20 in ’90-’91, King 20-for-20 in ’95-’96) … Klein now owns the team’s second-best average for the spring (82.00) while her 81.78 overall season average ranks 11th in ND history … McMurtrie has slipped back to an 82.36 spring average but her overall season average (81.67) ranks seventh in the Irish record book … other updated spring averages include Ro (84.50), Villarosa (84.27), Fuchs (85.36), Strong (86.60) and Taibl (90.00) … other updated 1999-2000 averages include: Ro (83.21), Villarosa (84.90), Fuchs (85.72) and Taibl (89.00) … McMurtrie has counted in 19 of her 21 rounds during 1999-2000 and Klein in 15 of 18, with the others: Ro (9 of 12, plus 2 indiv. rounds), Villarosa (11 of 17, plus 2 indiv. rds), Fuchs (6 of 10, plus 8 indiv. rds) and Taibl (2 of 6, plus 5 indiv. rds) … ND’s average four-player score for 1999-2000 is 326.71, which would rank second-best in the program’s 11-year history 12-year history (the ’97-’98 team averaged 319.83 and the ’96-’97 team averaged 326.71 … ND just needs to shoot 338 or lower on Sunday to secure the second-best team stroke average in the program’s history … Klein’s career average now stands at 82.19-second in the ND record book behind King’s 82.10 (’94-’98) … Smith (82.57) ranks fourth on the ND career stroke average list and McMurtrie is seventh (83.28) … Klein has counted in 52 of 64 career rounds, Smith in 34 of 40 (plus 2 indiv. rds) and McMurtrie in 28 of 34 (plus 6 indiv. rds).

TEAM STANDINGS (36 holes of 54): 1. Michigan State 314-310 /624, 2. Ohio State 311 -315/626, Kent 316 -310 /626, 4. Northwestern 316-318/634, 5. Indiana 317-318/635, 6. Wisconsin 321-321/ 642, 7. Ohio 314-331/645, 8. Notre Dame 324-324/648, 9. Minnesota 324-325/649, Louisville, 324-328/652, Penn State 333-325/658, 12. Stetson 338-334 /672, 13. Toledo 336-345/681, 14. Bowling Green 342-342/684, 15. Princeton 334-352/686, 16. Xavier 350 -347/697.

TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 99): 1 Kasey Gant (MSU) 75-76/151 , 2. Mollie Fankhauser (OSU) 78 -74/152, 3 Katherine Mowat (LOU)77-76/153, 4 Julee Sovesky (OHIO) 75-79/154, Cheryl Tooshkenig (KENT) 78-76/154.

NOTRE DAME SCORES: 21. Mary Klein 81-78/159, 22. Shane Smith 81-79 /160, 45. Kristin McMurtrie 79-88 /167, 45. Lauren Fuchs 83-84 /167, 54. Shelby Strong (indiv.) 83-85/168, 62. Priscilla Ro (indiv.) 85-85/170, 69. Danielle Villarosa 89-83/172, 93. Terri Taibl 96-92/188.