Sophomore Samantha Richdale followed consecutive rounds at 76, with a third round of 74 to claim medalist honors and lead the Redbirds to a fourth place finish in the St. Croix Collegiate Classic at Carambola Golf Club.
Ashlie Rose was second for the Birds in scoring and tied for 13th place individually, with a with a three round total of 235 (76,76,83). Ashlee Johnson finished third for Illinois State with 245 (80,81,84), while Kaila Fuller and Sarah Loomis rounded out the team scoring with 253 and 265.
ISU freshman Chelsea Bach, who had a hole-in-one in round two and competed as an individual, finished in a tie for 48th place individually with a 250 (85,82,83).
Southern Methodist (916) held off Baylor for the third straight day and finished with a comfortable 13 stroke lead to take home the team title. Texas Tech had a solid third round and jumped from sixth place to third and edged ISU by 11 strokes. The host Xavier Musketeers finished in a 3-way tie for fifth place along with Notre Dame and Boston College at 959.
The University of Illinois finished in eighth, followed by Texas-Pan Am., Wyoming, Texas State, Longwood, Wichita State and Rend Lake.
This marks the second time this year Richdale has earned medalist honors. Her first came at the final event of the fall season in the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invite. Overall, this is the fourth medalist honor of her career and she has five top five finishes in seven events this season.
The Birds return to action March 28-29 in Carbondale, Ill. at the Saluki Invitational hosted by Southern Illinois University.
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