Bradenton, Fla. - The USF Waterlefe Invitational concluded Tuesday at Waterlefe Golf Club with the Stetson women's golf team finishing in seventh place out of 19 teams at 61 over par for 54 holes. Sophomore Alexandria Buelow (Palm City, Fla.) struggled to a 77 in the final round but still tied for 10th place overall at +7.
Junior Lauren Cate (St. Augustine, Fla.) and freshman Mallory Viera (Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.) were Stetson's top scorers on Tuesday, each shooting two over par 74. Cate finished the tournament at 17 over par overall in a tie for 23rd while Viera tied for 30th at +21 in her first career collegiate action. Senior Alex Banham (Peterborough, England) also finished in the top half of the field after a final round 83 while freshman Sammi Smith (Louisville, Ky.) carded an 85 to wrap up the competition.
Mitsuki Katahira's eight under par 208 for the week led her Daytona State College team to an 884 (+20) team score and an eight-stroke win over Nova Southeastern. DSC is the defending junior college national champion while NSU won the NCAA Division II team crown last spring. Host USF (+44), Middle Tennessee (+47), Southern Miss (+56) and A-Sun rival FGCU (+60) also edged out the Hatters.
Rounding out the field were Augusta State (+69), Houston Baptist (+69), Montana (+76), Colorado State (+78), Troy (+87), South Dakota State (+88), South Alabama (+93), Florida Atlantic (+94), McNeese State (+99), Miami [Fla.] (+101), Louisiana-Monroe (+102) and UAB (+137).
The Hatters face a quick turnaround as they compete in the Xavier Invitational at LPGA International in nearby Daytona Beach this Friday-Sunday.
