WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- In seventh place and just a few points out of sixth after the opening round, the Whitman College women's golf team hit a few bumps in Friday's closing round to slip into eighth in the final team scoring at the highly competitive Spring Fling Invitational at Desert Princess Country Club in Cathedral City, Calif.

Whitman, four strokes in front of Redlands to start the day, posted a 341 team score (top four golfers) on Friday to finish with a 36-hole total of 673.

Tate Head

Meanwhile, Redlands shot 335 in the second round for a 671 tournament total, slipping past Whitman into a seventh place by a scant two strokes.

St. Edward's University, ranked No. 2 nationally in NCAA Div. II, ran away with the tournament, shooting rounds of 306 and 295 for a 601 first-place total.

Three more nationally ranked DII schools filled the next three spots.

Elaine Whaley

No. 14 Western Washington was the runner-up at 632 while No. 18 Drury and No. 22 Augustana were next in line with 638 and 640 totals, respectively.

NCAA Division I South Dakota State and UC-San Marcos, No. 15 in the NAIA ranks, tied for fifth at 652.

After Redlands and Whitman, Whitworth finished ninth at 689 while the NAIA's Biola was next at 734.

Whitman's top four in Friday's final round included juniors Tate Head and Elaine Whaley, both of whom shot a second straight 83 to finish at 166 for the tournament.

Sophomore Katie Zajicek added an 87 while first-year Missionary Sarah Debs shot 88 to complete the Missionary team score.

Kelly Sweeney

Sophomore Catelyn Webber, the fifth player designated for team scoring, struggled to a 90 in the closing round after shooting Whitman's low score (82) on Thursday.

Playing as individuals, first-year Missionary Kelly Sweeney shot 82 in the closing round while junior Caitlin Holland posted her second straight 93.

Sweeney, who opened with an 84 on Thursday, finished with a 166 tournament total, tying Head and Whaley. Next in line were Zajicek 171, Webber 172, Debs 174, and Holland 186. 

Haley Haught for St. Edwards's and Maggie Leland for Augustana both carded 146 tournament totals to lead the field. Haught then captured medalist honors on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff.

- 30 -

CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu