Huskers in Hunt at Paradise Invite

Miu Takahashi and Kelli Ann Strand helped get the Nebraska women's golf team off to a strong start on the opening day of the spring season at the FAU Paradise Invitational in Boca Raton, Fla.

Takahashi, a sophomore from Nasu-Machi, Japan, fired rounds of 69 and 70 to finish with a 36-hole total of 139 (-5) to head to Tuesday's final round in a tie for fifth on the par-72, 6,204-yard layout of the Osprey Point Golf Club.

Strand, a freshman from Idaho, nearly matched Takahashi's production, putting together back-to-back rounds of 70 to close the day at 140 (-4) in a tie for eighth place in the 75-player field.

With Takahashi and Strand leading the way, the Huskers enter Tuesday's final round in sole possession of second place in the 14-team field. Nebraska recorded rounds of 284 and 282 to end the day at 566 (-10) trailing only No. 19 Vanderbilt in the standings. The Commodores produced the best rounds on Monday with an opening-round 275 followed by a second-round 279 to sit at 555 (-23) with a 12-shot lead over the Huskers.

Nebraska owns a one-shot edge over third-place South Florida (567) and a seven-shot advantage over the hosts from Florida Atlantic (573). Missouri (575) and Kansas State (578) round out the top six teams in the tournament field.

"We played well today," Nebraska Head Coach Jeanne Sutherland said. "We finished strong, which shines a light on both our fitness and focus. I was pleased with our first day of the spring, and I think we have a lot of little things we can clean up tomorrow. It feels great to be out in the sunshine competing again."

In addition to the solid opening-day play of Takahashi and Strand, graduate student Megan Whittaker produced rounds of 73 and 71 to close the day at even-par 144 in a tie for 19th. Michaela Vavrova added rounds of 72 and 76 to head to Tuesday's final round in a tie for 44th at 149 (+5), while Lindsey Thiele rounded out Nebraska's top five with rounds of 79 and 71 to tie for 53rd.

The Huskers will shoot for a tournament title on Tuesday with the final round beginning with a shotgun start at 7 a.m. (CT). Live scoring will be available through GolfStat.com.

FAU Paradise Invitational
Feb. 6-7, 2023
Boca Raton, Florida
Osprey Point Golf Club
Par 72, 6,204 Yards

Team Leaderboard (2 Rounds)
1. Vanderbilt - 275-279-554 (-22)
2. Nebraska - 284-282-566 (-10)
3. South Florida - 277-290-567 (-9)
4. Florida Atlantic - 288-285-573 (-3)
5. Missouri - 288-287-575 (-1)
6. Kansas State - 293-285-578 (+2)
T7. Kennesaw State - 294-287-581 (+5)
T7. Brigham Young - 285-296-581 (+5)
9. UTSA - 296-290-586 (+10)
10. Georgia Southern - 295-293-588 (+12)
T11. Wisconsin - 301-288-589 (+13)
T11. Colorado State - 293-296-589 (+13)
13. Mercer - 293-299-592 (+16)
14. Indiana - 297-300-597 (+21)

Individual Leaderboard (2 Rounds)
1. Letizia Bagnoli, Florida Atlantic - 66-66-132 (-12)
2. Virginie Ding, Vanderbilt - 66-70-136 (-8)
T3. Alizee Vidal, South Florida - 69-69-138 (-6)
T3. Melanie Green, South Florida - 66-72-138 (-6)
T5. Tillie Claggett, Vanderbilt - 71-68-139 (-5)
T5. Miu Takahashi, Nebraska - 69-70-139 (-5)
T5. Allysha Mae Matteo, Brigham Young - 67-72-139 (-5)
T8. Lynn Lim, Vanderbilt - 72-68-140 (-4)
T8. Sophia Yoemans, Missouri - 71-69-140 (-4)
T8. Kelli Ann Strand, Nebraska - 70-70-140 (-4)
T8. Celina Sattelkau, Vanderbilt - 66-74-140 (-4)

Nebraska Individuals
T5. Miu Takahashi - 69-70-139 (-5)
T8. Kelli Ann Strand - 70-70-140 (-4)
T19. Megan Whittaker - 73-71-144 (E)
T44. Michaela Vavrova - 72-77-149 (+5)
T53. Lindsey Thiele - 79-71-150 (+6)
*T53. Andrea Velez - 76-73-149 (+6)
*competing as an individual outside Nebraska's lineup