Illinois Wins Gainesville Shootout III; UF's Schachner Sixth
Saturday, March 15, 2008 | Women's Golf
The Illinois women's golf team tallied a final-round 301 to edge Texas State by two strokes and win the Gainesville Shootout III on a windy Saturday at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
The Fighting Illini entered Saturday's final round trailing then-leader Michigan by four shots but posted the low team round of the tournament. Illinois finished at 76-over 916, and Texas State was second at 78-over 918. The Wolverines dropped to third after a final-round 309 that left them at 80-over 920 overall.
Wofford's Alex Rankin maintained her second round lead to earn individual medal honors. Rankin, who carded a tournament-low 68 on Friday, fired a 77 and finished at 7-over 217 to win by three shots. Texas A&M Corpus Christi's Ashley Olynick took second after a 69 -- the low round of the day -- put her at 10-over 220.
Illinois had three players finish in the individual top 15. The Illini's Raquel Hopton counted a final-round 76 to claim third at 11-over 221.
The University of Florida women's team did not figure into the standings due to the Lady Gators only playing three individuals on the weekend. Redshirt freshman Nicole Schachner (Libertyville, Ill.) closed with a 78 and finished at 15-over 225 and a five-way tie for sixth place. Her cumulative score bested her previous career low by five shots. It also marked her best career finish, eclipsing her previous best of seventh place at the 2007 NorthShore Shootout.
Senior Eleanor Tucker (Wilson, N.C.) fired her second 75 of the weekend to share 11th place at 16-over 226. Junior C.J. Kim (Rowland Heights, Calif.) also recorded her second 75 of the tournament on Saturday. The back-to-back 5-over scores pushed her into a tie for 17th place at 21-over 231.
While Florida's three individuals played in Gainesville, the Lady Gators' regular lineup departed for Austin, Texas, on Saturday. UF begins the three-day Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational on Monday at The University of Texas Golf Club. Live scoring for the 54-hole event can be found at www.Golfstat.com.
Final Team Scores
| Place | School | Score |
| 1. | Illinois | 309-306-301=916 (+76) |
| 2. | Texas State | 301-313-304=918 (+78) |
| 3. | Michigan | 309-302-309=920 (+80) |
| 4. | Illinois State | 308-309-307=924 (+84) |
| 5. | Texas A&M-CC | 308-315-310=933 (+93) |
| 6. | Louisiana-Monroe | 313-314-308=935 (+95) |
| 7. | Wofford | 316-306-319=941 (+101) |
| 8. | Nevada | 314-323-306=943 (+103) |
| T9. | Iowa | 321-310-319=950 (+110) |
| T9. | West Florida | 311-322-317=950 (+110) |
| T9. | Southern Miss | 322-315-313=950 (+110) |
| 12. | Troy | 326-318-314=958 (+118) |
| 13. | Appalachian State | 320-323-321=964 (+124) |
| 14. | Texas-Pan Am | 315-329-330=974 (+134) |
| 15. | Albany | 350-342-339=1031 (+191) |
Final Individual Top 5
| Place | Player (School) | Score |
| 1. | Alex Rankin (Wofford) | 72-68-77=217 (+7) |
| 2. | Ashley Olynick (Texas A&M-CC) | 73-78-69=220 (+10) |
| 3. | Raquel Hopton (Illinois) | 75-70-76=221 (+11) |
| 4. | Angela Drane (UL-Monroe) | 77-74-72=223 (+13) |
| 5. | Lindsay Davis (Michigan) | 70-79-75=224 (+14) |
Final Florida Results
| Place | Player | Score |
| T6. | Nicole Schachner (Individual) | 70-77-78=225 (+15) |
| T11. | Eleanor Tucker (Individual) | 75-76-75=226 (+16) |
| T17. | C.J. Kim (Individual) | 81-75-75=231 (+21) |
