SAKAMOTO WINS MARY FOSSUM INVITATIONAL

Saturday, September 12

East Lansing, Mich.

TBA

James Madison University

MARY FOSSUM INVITATIONAL

9/14/2009 2:15:00 AM | Women's Golf

EAST LANSING, Mich., Sept. 13, 2009 - James Madison sophomore Nicole Sakamoto (Honolulu, Haw./Kalani) carded a final-round 70 on Sunday to edge out Michigan's Ashley Bauer by one stroke for the individual championship at the Mary Fossum Invitational. The Madison women's golf team placed three other golfers in the tournament's top 50 to lead Madison to a fifth-place finish in the event.

Sakamoto entered the day in sixth place out of 91 golfers, three strokes behind Michigan's State Laura Kueny. The sophomore carded the day's best round by carding four birdies to just two bogies to finish the day at 2-under-par. Sakamoto fired a 75 in Saturday's opening round and followed that up with a 69 in the second round to finish the event with a 214.

It was the first career win for Sakamoto in 11 career starts.

Junior Mary Chamberlain (Dennis, Mass./Suffield Academy) carded rounds of 76-78-77=231 to finish tied for 33rd. It was the first start in nearly 11 months for Chamberlain, who missed most of last season with an injury.

Sophomore Valentina Sanmiguel (Bogota, Colombia/Gimasio La Moñtana) and junior Laura Mesa (Manizales, Colombia/Colegio Granadino) each carded 237 to finish tied for 50th. Sanmiguel fired rounds of 86-72-79,while Mesa shot rounds of 77-81-79.

Junior Catrin Gunnarsson (Bankeryd, Sweden/Sanda Gymnasiet) rounded out the Dukes five-person team in a tie for 54th, carding a 76-79-83=238.

As a team, JMU shot a 304-298-305=907 to take fifth out of 17 teams. Tournament host Michigan State took home the team championship, recording a 289-293-293=875 to beat out Purdue (291-288-299=878) by three strokes. Indiana (294-293-305=892) and Northwestern (297-294-309=900) gave the Big 10 Conference the top-four finishers as they finished third and fourth respectively.

Bauer (74-68-73=215) finished second, followed by Michigan's State's Lindsey Solberg (74-70-72=216) and Shannon Warner (72-73-71=216) in a tie for third. Purdue's Laura Gonzalez Escallon (73-70-75=218) and Junthima Gulyanamitta (72-74-72=218) and Indiana's Kellye Belcher (73-69-76=218) rounded out the top-five in a tie for fifth.

The Dukes will return to action Sept. 18-20 in Greenville, S.C. as tee off in the Lady Paladin Invitational hosted by Furman University.