SEDONA, Ariz. - The Bronco golf team hauled in their first piece of hardware this season, finishing second at the Red Rocks Invitational hosted by Northern Arizona University and held at the Oak Creek Country Club in Sedona, Ariz. Sophomore Elise Swartout was WMU's top individual, tying for third place.
Swartout answered her first-round score of 76 with a mirror effort on Sunday, closing out with another 4-over par 76. Her two-round total of 152 matched Oral Roberts University's Chrisy Carter for third place, which was two shots off the pace set by Eastern Michigan's Catherine Fortin. Fortin was the event's medalist with a two-round total of 150 (+6).
"It was a pretty uneventful round but I was able to string together a few pars and get up and down a couple of times to save par," commented Swartout after her round. "The conditions were a little different today, a little colder and a little more wind but overall I am happy with the way I played."
EMU also edged Western Michigan in the team standings by two strokes with a 315 team score on Sunday for a total of 626 (+50). WMU fell 10 strokes off its day one pace of 309 to finish at 624 (+52). The Broncos led the tournament after one round by two strokes over the Eagles.
Britney Hamilton registered a top-10 finish at the Red Rocks Invitational. She finished alone in 10th with a second-round score of 76 (+4). Laura Bavaird finished just behind Hamilton in a three-way tie for 11th with UC-Riverside's Jennifer Bermingham and Portland State's Alexia Brown.
"Today was bittersweet. Everyone can find a shot or two throughout a round and that was the difference but for the tournament as a whole, I am happy, especially for the first time out this spring," commented head coach Cindy Trout.
Western Michigan will now travel to Rio Verde, Ariz., where it will host the sixth annual Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational at the Rio Verde Country Club (March 7-9). The practice round is on Thursday, March 6. All the action will be available through Live Scoring on www.wmubroncos.com and www.golfstat.com.
WMU Individual Finishes
T-3 Elise Swartout, 76-76=152 (+8)
10 - Britney Hamilton, 80-76=156 (+12)
T-11 Laura Bavaird, 76-81=157 (+13)
T-50 Brooke Ruble, 82-86=168 (+24)
T-50 Stephanie Koske, 77-91=168 (+24)
T-75 Megan Petzko, 85-92=177 (+33)
