NU's Stevenson sets record at Regional meet

Sophomore JC Stevenson fired a three-over-par 75 to finish with a Nebraska NCAA Regional-record 220 over 54 holes, but the Husker women's golf team just missed a bid to the 24-team NCAA Championships by one stroke with a 10th-place tie at the 21-team NCAA Central Regional at the University of Texas Golf Course on Saturday.

Stevenson, a native of Grand Island, tied for 14th individually in the 108-player tournament and broke the previous NU regional scoring record set by All-American Sarah Sasse (222) by two strokes.

Sasse produced the previous mark at the 2003 NCAA Central Regional at Lincoln's Firethorn Golf Course, May 8-10. Stevenson's 14th-place showing was NU's highest individual regional finish since Sasse tied for fifth in 2003.

Although Stevenson set an NU record, it was senior Elli Brown who nearly carried the 17th-seeded Huskers to their second NCAA Championship bid in the past three years on Saturday.

Brown, a four-year starter from Meridian, Idaho, closed her illustrious Nebraska career with an even-par 72 that included 16 pars, one birdie and one bogey. Brown finished her third NCAA Regional appearance at 223, just three strokes behind Stevenson and just one shot back of Sasse's previous NU regional record.

Brown finished in a tie for 22nd individually, the 30th top 25 finish of her NU career, including 11 top-25 showings in 2007-08. It was also the best regional performance of Brown's career, after producing three-round totals of 233 in both 2006 and 2007.

"Elli came out and played like the true leader that she is today and has been throughout her career," Nebraska coach Robin Krapfl said. "She played wonderful golf all day long. She did everything she could to keep us in the top eight."

No. 3 UCLA posted a final-round 285 to claim the NCAA Central Regional title with a three-under-par 861 over 54 holes. The Bruins finished 10 shots ahead of sixth-ranked Purdue (871), and 21 strokes in front of 11th-ranked Denver (882). TCU finished fourth at 884, while Big 12 runner-up Texas A&M took fifth at 885.

Ninth-ranked Alabama settled for sixth place at 896, while the hosts from Texas claimed seventh with a three-round score of 899. LSU, ranked No. 19 nationally, and Florida State had to go to the tiebreaker to determine the final entrant into the NCAA Championship field from the Central Regional, after both teams finished at 902. LSU won the playoff to advance to the national tournament. Nebraska and North Carolina State finished just one shot behind the Tigers and Seminoles at 903.

The Huskers entered the final round in eighth place and posted a 303 over the final 18 holes on the 6,301-yard, par-72 layout at the UT Golf Course. Although NU finished in a tie for 10th, the Huskers had climbed to sixth after the first nine holes on Saturday, before struggling on the back nine."

"We came out and attacked the course and we were just two-over par on the front nine," Krapfl said. "Kate White bounced back from a rough round yesterday and was two-under on the front and Elli was one-under on the front, and we had put ourselves in a great position.

"The back nine just got away from us. It is too bad, because we played so hard and played so well throughout the tournament. It just wasn't quite good enough today against some great competition."

A four-hole stretch from No. 13 to No. 16 doomed the Huskers on Saturday. During that stretch, NU counted four double-bogeys and four bogeys, putting the Huskers at plus-12 over that portion of the course, while going plus-three over the other 14 holes in the final round.

The top eight teams from each of the three NCAA Regionals advanced to the 24-team NCAA Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., May 20-23. Nebraska season comes to and after the Huskers made their third straight NCAA Regional appearance. The Huskers will return three starters next year in hopes of tying a school record by earning their fourth consecutive regional berth.