STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Sophomore Britney Hamilton and junior Elise Swartout tied for sixth place at the season-opening Nittany Lion Invitational as the Western Michigan golf team finished 10th.  Hamilton, returning to her first action since a wrist injury that sidelined her for most of last spring opened with a career-low even-par round of 72.

Hamilton carded three-straight rounds in the 70's (72-78-76) for the second time in her young Bronco career.  She followed her career low round with a 6-over par 78 and rebounded with a 4-over par 76. 

The sixth-place finish marks the fourth of Hamilton's career and third in a row.  She ended her 2007-08 season with 10th-place finishes at the Red Rocks Invitational and College of William & Mary Invitational.

Swartout, who is coming off a pair of wins over this past summer, bounced back from an opening round 77 to card a 2-over par 74 and a 3-over par 75.  Swartout's second-round 74 was just one stroke off her career-low round of 73, which took place in the opening round of the 2008 Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational. 

This was Swartout's second top-10 finish and first since tying for third place at the 2008 Red Rocks Invitational.

Western Michigan finished 10th in the field of 15 teams but finished ahead of Mid-American Conference rivals Ohio (11th) and Bowling Green (13th) with a team score of 951 (316-314-321).

The Broncos travel a short distance to East Lansing, Mich., for the 2008 Mary Fossum Invitational.  The 54-hole event opens on Saturday, Sept. 20.

WMU Individual Final Results

T-6th, Elise Swartout, 77-74-75=226 (+10)
T-6th, Britney Hamilton, 72-78-76=226 (+10)
T-56th, Stephanie Koske, 82-82-84=248 (+32)
T-62nd, Leah Grawburg, 85-80-86=251 (+35)
74th, Maria Demarco, 86-90-92=268 (+52)