March 25, 2003
CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. - The Santa Clara University women's golf team finished third at the annual Santa Clara Colby Classic with a final round team score of 329 at the Rancho Canada Country Club West Course Tuesday afternoon in Carmel Valley, Calif.
The Broncos entered the day tied for first place but finished 24-strokes back of Eastern Washington University who fired a 315 as a team on Tuesday. Sacramento State finished second overall after team scores of 317 and 323.
Monday's first round was played on the 5,801-yard, par-71 East course which played nearly 1 1/2 strokes easier per player than Tuesday's course, the 5,937-yard, par-72 West Course at Rancho Canada.
Santa Clara freshman Meggie Fagundes entered the day tied for the lead with Kelsey Posedel of Gonzaga and held on for Medalist honors after shooting a 6-over par, 78 on Tuesday for a five-stroke win. The win was not only the first for Fagundes in her collegiate career, but it was the first time a Santa Clara women's golfer was the medalist at any tournament.
Posedel fell down to a tie for sixth place after shooting an 87 on the day, while Jennifer Dolph of Eastern Washington shot a 79 and finished alone in second place with her two-day total of 155.
Fegundes carried the Broncos to their third place finish as no one else on the team finished higher than 21st. Jessica Lamberty fired consecutive rounds of 82 to finish tied for 21st at 21-over par, followed by Courtney Dimpel-Composti and Nikki Mach who each finished in a tie for 25th with their 22-over par total of 165. Candice Palmer rounded out the Bronco scoring with her 36-hole total of 23-over par, 166.
"I am very pleased with the way we played today," said head coach Polly Schulze. "Although we really wanted to win our own tournament, we did gain some experience in being in contention for a competitive tournament and that should benefit us down the road. Also, having a freshman win this tournament for us really shows where this program is headed and how bright the future is for us."
Staci Davison of Cal Poly, Tracy Nichols of Sacramento State and Jeanie Begnell of Eastern Washington all finished in a tie for third place with their tow-round totals of 14-over par, 157.
The Broncos return to action on April 14 and 15 at the West Coast Conference Championships that will be held in Fresno, Calif. The 54-hole event is the last scheduled event for the Broncos this season.
