Monday, October 03, 2011

Erika Pfaender (Pewaukee, Wis./Arrowhead H.S.) carded a Valparaiso University record 74 on Monday, tying for sixth place at the midway point of the Butler Fall Invitational held at Highland Golf and Country Club in Indianapolis, Ind.  As a team the Crusaders shot a school-best 310 and are in seventh place.

Pfaender fired a one-under par 34 on the back nine on her way to bettering her collegiate best round by four strokes and setting an 18-hole scoring mark at the school by one shot.

Freshman A.J. Selig (Hortonville, Wis./Appleton West H.S.) also turned in her best round as a collegian, a 76, including a 36 over the back nine, and is tied for 14^th at the midway point of the 36-hole event.  It marked the first time that Selig has shot under 80 at Valpo.

Brianna Davy (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central H.S.) added a 79 while Michelle Kleckner (New Brighton, Minn./Irondale H.S.) added an 81 to round out the scoring for the Crusaders.  Kleckner set the previous school record of 75 earlier this season.

Kelly Voigt (Palatine, Ill./Fremd H.S.) posted an 89 for Valpo while Jessica O’Brien (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton H.S.), playing as an individual, carded a 91 to round out the Brown and Gold lineup.

As a team, Valparaiso’s score of 310 betters the 18-hole school record of 316 set last season at this same tournament.  The Crusaders are just two strokes behind IUPUI and Western Illinois for fourth place and one shot in back of Evansville for sixth.

Butler leads the way with a first round score of 295 and holds a five stroke lead over Ball State and Indiana State.

Individually, Jordan Essman of IUPUI, Michele Nash of Butler, and Meghan Perry of Ball State lead the way at two-over par 72 on the 5,824-yard, par-70 course.

The final round of the tournament will begin at 8 a.m. CDT on Tuesday with a shotgun start.