Takahashi Leads Huskers in Miami

Miu Takahashi produced a top-25 finish to lead the Nebraska women's golf team to a tie for eighth in a talented field at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Fla., on Tuesday.

Takahashi, a sophomore from Nasu-machi, Japan, managed a 75 (+3) in Tuesday's final round to close the 54-hole tournament in a tie for 24th at 217 (+1) on the par-72, 6,162-yard layout of the Biltmore Golf Club. Teammate Megan Whittaker (Elkhorn, Neb.) matched Takahashi's 75 on Tuesday but just missed a top-25 finish by tying for 29th at 218 (+2).

Junior Michaela Vavrova (Bojnice, Slovakia) provided the best round of the day for the Big Red, firing a two-under-par 70 to climb 14 spots up the leader board into a tie for 32nd at 219 (+3). Vavrova's final round featured four birdies and an eagle on No. 18, while adding nine pars with four bogeys.

Freshman Kelli Ann Strand (Challis, Idaho) and junior Lindsey Thiele (Wahoo, Neb.) each contributed rounds of 75 (+3) for the Huskers to finish in a tie for 37th at 220 (+4). Thiele joined Vavrova with an eagle of her own on the 459-yard, par-5 18th hole, while Strand added an eagle on the 480-yard, par-5 No. 1.

In a tournament that featured just a 22-stroke difference between the top team and the 10th team, No. 15 SMU claimed the team championship with a three-round total of 848 (-16), which included Tuesday's best round with a 277 (-11). The hosts from Miami finished four strokes back at 852 (-12), while South Florida took third at 853 (-11). UNLV, BYU and San Diego State claimed the No. 4 through No. 6 spots, while New Mexico took seventh at 869 (+5) just one stroke in front of Nebraska, No. 10 Kent State and Illinois, which finished in a three-way tie for eighth at 870 (+6).

"We competed well, but we did not putt well on Bermuda greens," Nebraska Head Coach Jeanne Sutherland said. "We will have some more opportunities to compete and handle Bermuda greens in the spring. Our ball-striking was really good, we just didn't convert putts. There is still a lot of room to grow, but I was pleased with our fall season. I thought we learned a lot, and I thought we did some good things."

BYU's Allysha Mae Mateo took home medalist honors with a 54-hole score of 209 (-7) that included in a second-round 67 (-5). Mateo defeated SMU's Mackenzie Lee, Miami's Nataliya Guseva and South Florida's Alizee Vidal by one stroke.

Nebraska ended its fall season in Miami and will return to Florida to open the spring season at the FAU Paradise Invitational in Boca Raton, Feb. 6-7.

Hurricane Invitational
Coral Gables, Fla. (Biltmore GC)
Par 72, 6,162 Yards
Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2022

Final Team Results
1. SMU - 290-281-277=848 (-16)  
2. Miami - 283-290-279=852 (-12) 
3. South Florida - 286-286-281=853 (-11)  
4. UNLV - 278-286-293=857 (-7)  
5. Brigham Young - 286-283-290=859 (-5)  
6. San Diego State - 290-288-287=866 (+2)  
7. New Mexico - 288-295-286=859 (+5)  
T8. Nebraska - 284-291-295=870 (+6)  
T8. Kent State - 291-284-295=870 (+6)  
T8. Illinois - 292-284-294=870 (+6)  
11. Texas State - 295-293-285=873 (+9)  
12. Augusta - 292-298-291=881 (+17)

Final Individual Results
1. Allysha Mae Mateo, Brigham Young - 73-67-69=209 (-7)  
T2. Mackenzie Lee, SMU - 73-70-67=210 (-6)
T2. Nataliya Guseva, Miami - 71-70-69=210 (-6)
T2. Alizee Vidal, South Florida - 69-71-70=210 (-6)  
5. Bernice Ilas, San Diego State - 71-67-73=211 (-5)  
T6. Michelle Zhang, SMU - 76-71-65=212 (-4)
T6. Sara Byrne, Miami - 72-71-69=212 (-4)
T8. Maria Caparros Levin, New Mexico - 72-72-69=213 (-3)
T8. Anika Sato, San Diego State - 71-73-69=213 (-3)
T8. Melanie Green, South Florida - 69-75-69=213 (-3)
T8. Lauren Heinlein, South Florida - 72-71-70=213 (-3)
T8. Nicole Lorup, UNLV - 70-72-71=213 (-3)
T8. Marine Griffaut, Texas State - 72-69-72=213 (-3)
T8. Ellie Szeryk, SMU - 72-69-72=213 (-3)
T8. Lila Galeai, Brigham Young - 69-72-72=213 (-3)  
T8. Crystal Wang, llinois - 72-68-73=213 (-3)  
T8. Isabel Sy, Illinois - 70-69-74=213 (-3)

Nebraska Individuals
T24. Miu Takahashi - 69-73-75=217 (+1)
T29. Megan Whittaker - 71-72-75=218 (+2)
T32. Michaela Vavrova - 73-76-70=219 (+3)
T37. Kelli Ann Strand - 71-74-75=220 (+4)
T37. Lindsey Thiele - 73-72-75=220 (+4)
68. Ariel Gonzalez* - 76-79-76=231 (+15)