RIO VERDE, Ariz. - In the first year of Duramed Pharmaceutical's title sponsorship of the Duramed Collegiate Invitational at Rio Verde hosted by Western Michigan, the field did not disappoint as Meghan Gockel of Kansas and Sara Wikstrom of Arkansas-Little Rock battled in the first  sudden death playoff in tournament history.  Gockel won with a par on the first playoff hole as her team also captured the team title in record fashion.

Fifty-four holes was not enough to settle the medalist award as Gockel and Wikstrom each finished with identical scores of 218 (+5).  The gallery of family, fans, teammates and competitors swelled around the first tee of the Quail Run course at Rio Verde Country Club to watch the duo tee off.  Both placed their drives in the middle of the fairway but the ultimate outcome was determined by the flat stick.  Gockel holed a par putt and Wikstrom had to settle for bogey and runner-up.

Kansas ran away with the team title, scoring a combined 883 over three rounds for a 24-stroke margin of victory, the largest in tournament history.  The Jayhawks' title was the seventh by a different team than the year before as the Duramed Collegiate Invitational is yet to have two-time team or individual champions.

Western Michigan finished the tournament alone in ninth place for its third top-10 finish of the season.  The Broncos' Elise Swartout continued her hot play from Saturday, carding a 1-over par 72 to grind her way into a 10th-place finish, tying with four other golfers.  It is her second top-10 finish of the year and her first since the season-opening Nittany Lion Women's Invitational in September.

Leah Grawburg added her name to the list of Broncos to record career lows this weekend.  The freshman shot a 4-over par 75 in Sunday's final round to best her previous career-low by two strokes.  She was the only Bronco to lower her score each day of the 2009 Duramed Collegiate Invitational.  Sophomore Britney Hamilton was consistent throughout the weekend, scoring rounds of 76-77-78 en route to a tie for 34th place.

The Broncos now take over three weeks off before they travel to the University of Arkansas-Little Rock on March 30-31.  UALR finished second in this year's Duramed Collegiate Invitational, seven strokes ahead of Eastern Michigan.

WMU Individual Finishes
T-10th, Elise Swartout - 82-71-72=225 (+12)
T-34th, Britney Hamilton - 76-77-78=231 (+18)
T-42nd, Katrina Templar - 81-75-78=234 (+21)
T-51st, Leah Grawburg - 82-79-75=236 (+23)
T-92nd, Briana May - 85-80-85=250 (+37)
T-92nd, Maria Demarco - 80-85-85=250 (+37)
WD, Stephanie Koske