By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
NEWTON, Kan. – Fort Hays State finished 14th as a team at the Newman Spring Invitational, held at Sand Creek Station Golf Course. Morgan Brasser led the Tiger effort individually with two rounds of 77, finishing in a tie for 16th.
Brasser had a strong round going on Tuesday with the exception of a couple of holes that tripped her up and kept her from finishing among the top 10. She had three birdies in the final round and a total of four during the tournament.
Shauna Lee had a big turnaround on day two, improving 30 places on the standings board into a tie for 55th. Like Brasser, she carded three final round birdies and led the Tigers on day two with a 3-over par 75. She had a 12-stroke improvement from an 87 in the first round.
Kira Mestl and Kerrigan Rudolph tied for 59th individually, just one stroke back of Lee overall. Mestl had rounds of 78 and 85, while Rudolph shot 82 and 81. Lexie Ridder tied for 86th individually with rounds of 84 and 92.
Gracen Blount of Henderson State won the tournament individually at 1-under par overall. She snuck by day-one leader Felisa Sajulga of Newman who shot 5-under, but backed that with a 5-over effort on day two to finish at even.
Seven of the top 50 ranked teams in the nation competed in the tournament. Rogers State, ranked No. 22, won at +28 overall. The Hillcats clipped Central Oklahoma (No. 44) and Henderson State (No. 15) by one stroke. The top five teams in the standings were all nationally ranked.
Fort Hays State will take the Newman Invitation as a learning experience as Sand Creek Station will also serve as the host of the MIAA Championships in two weeks, scheduled for April 21-23.