EAST LANSING, Mich., Sept. 26, 2010 - The James Madison women's golf team finished eighth at the 2010 Mary Fossum Invitational, Sept. 25-26. The two-day, 54-hole tournament was played at Forest Akers West Golf Course (Par 72 / 6,316 yards) in East Lansing, Mich.
Under tough conditions for the entire field, the Dukes battled to a 316 in the final round after having a 626 through 36 holes to finish at 78-over 942 (316-310-316). Notre Dame took home the team title at 26-over 890, five shots better than runner-up Kent State at 895. Host Michigan State was third at 896, while Iowa State (904) and Long Beach State (935) rounded out the top five teams.
For the second straight tournament, senior Mary Chamberlain (Dennis, Mass./Suffield Academy) was the top JMU player, tying for 26th at 18-over 234 (73-80-81). Senior Catrin Gunnarsson (Bankeryd, Sweden/Sanda Gymnasiet) was next in a tie for 34th at 236 (85-75-76), with junior Valentina SanMiguel (Bogota, Colombia/Gimasio La Montana) next in 38th at 237 (81-75-81). In her first collegiate tournament, freshman Sara Stanley (Chantilly, Va./Westfield) placed 46th at 240 (81-80-79), while junior Nicole Sakamoto (Honolulu, Hawaii/Kalani) tied for 47th at 25-over 241 (81-80-80). Notre Dame's Nicole Zhang was the medalist with a 9-under 207 (69-67-71), winning by nine shots.
The Dukes will return to the course Friday-Sunday, Oct. 8-10 at the 2010 Mercedes-Benz Women's Collegiate Championship. Hosted by the University of Tennessee, the three-day, 54-hole tournament will be played at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn.