April 2, 2000
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Junior captain Shane Smith posted a seventh-place finish among a 95-player field but the Notre Dame women’s golf team slipped from sixth to eighth place in the team competition, following final round action Sunday at the William & Mary Invitational.
Smith–who closed the 199 fall season with a fifth-place finish at the Butler Invitational–led the Irish for the third time in six 1999-2000 tournaments while posting the second-best finish of her Notre Dame career, thanks to rounds of 75-82 (157) at the par-71, 5,862-yard Ford’s Colony Country Club.
The Irish opened play on Saturday with a solid round of 321 before adding a 333 on Sunday for a 654 total, just one stroke behind Elon College and seven back of Yale. James Madison (613) claimed the team title, outdistancing the host school by 13 strokes.
Smith finished just one stroke behind Cincinnati’s Katie Rakel and four behind Winthrop’s Janice Roberts. William & Mary’s Holly Corbin claimed medalist honors, edging JMU’s Julia Russum by one stroke.
Notre Dame junior Danielle Villarosa posted the best 36-hole score of her Notre Dame career, equaling her career-best round on Saturday (79) before closing with an 83 for a 162 total. Villarosa tied for 22nd in the 17-team event but did not count to the team score, due to her status as an individual entrant.
Junior Kristin McMurtrie (85-78/163) showed marked improvement in the second round while sophomore Lauren Fuchs slipped to a second-round 89, after opening with a 79 (168). Juniors Mary Klein (88-84/172) and Becca Schloss (82-92/174) rounded out the Irish contingent.
Smith’s season stroke average now stands at 79.46 over the course of 13 rounds, leaving her on pace to break the Irish record of 79.50 set by Katie King in 1997-98. Smith also has counted to the Irish team score in each of her 13 rounds played during the 1999-2000 season.
FINAL TEAM SCORES (36 holes): 1. James Madison 309-304/613, 2. William & Mary 313-313/626, 3. Princeton 316-312/628, 4. Winthrop 318-324/642, 5. Methodist 325-320/645, 6. Yale 320-327/647, 7. Elon 323-330/653, 8. Notre Dame 321-333/654, Cincinnati 331-323/654, 10. Dayton 330-340/670, 11. Rutgers 337-338/675, 12. Boston College 335-347/682, 13. Bucknell 348-344/692, 14. Radford 345-350/695, 15. Hampton 363-363/726, 16. William & Mary B 374-358/732, 17. Pennsylvania 404-408/812.
TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 95): 1. Holly Corbin (W&M) 73-74/147, Julia Russum (JMU) 75-73/148, 3. Vanessa Redman (PR) 75-75/150, Meghan Adams (JMU) 73-77/150, 5. Janice Roberts (WIN) 76-77/153, 6. Katie Rakel (CIN) 78-78/156, 7. Shane Smith (ND) 75-82/157, Lindsey Sims (W&M) 81-76/157, Natalie Christensen (PRIN) 79-78/157.
OTHER ND SCORES: 22. Danielle Villarosa (indiv.) 79-83/162, 26. Kristin McMurtrie 85-78/163, 42. Lauren Fuchs 79-89/168, 57. Mary Klein 88-84/172, Becca Schloss 82-92/174.