FERRIS STATE FINISHES FOURTH AT 2008 WOMEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

Senior Missy Ward helped Ferris State to a fourth-place finish at the 2008 NCAA-II Women's Golf Championships as she tied for 15th-place honors.

The Ferris State University women's golf team finished fourth in the 2008 NCAA Division II National Championships as final round play wrapped up Friday (May 16) at the Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas.

The Bulldogs carded a 315 (+27) in Friday's final round to finish with a 1,239 stroke total (+87) for the four-day event. FSU previously posted rounds of 296, 308 and 320 in the initial three rounds, respectively.

Rollins (Fla.) captured the Division II National Championship by shooting a six-over par total of 294 in the final round. RC's 1,181 (293-301-293-294, +29) score topped runner-up Nova Southeastern's (Fla.) final total of 1,188 (292-295-300-301, +36) by seven strokes. Grand Valley State placed third at 1,221 (+69) with rounds of 314, 296, 308 and 303 in the four rounds. The Lakers fired a 15-over par score of 303 in the last round after overtaking the Bulldogs in Thursday's (May 15) third round of competition. Tarleton State (Texas) trailed FSU by three strokes and placed fifth overall (+90) with Western Washington (+101), Nebraska-Omaha (+117) and Augustana of South Dakota (+131) rounding out the eight-team national championship field on the par 72 course, which totaled 6,327 yards.

Individually, the Bulldogs had three players finish among the nation's top 25 performers.

Junior Alison Meyer led the way with a tie for seventh place as she carded a 12-over total of 300 in the tournament. Meyer, who shot a 76 in the final round, opened the event with a 71 Tuesday (May 13) and came back with rounds of 76 and 77 in day two and three action, respectively. Senior Missy Ward wrapped up her collegiate career by sharing 15th-place honors with a 306 (+18) overall stroke total. Ward recorded a 76 in Friday's last round after posting scores of 76, 73 and 81 in the first three rounds.

Fellow senior Becky Hoffman came in 25th overall by shooting a 310 (+22) for the tournament. Hoffman opened the event with a 72 before firing rounds of 77, 79 and 82 over the last three days. Junior Raquel Hansen posted a 325 (+37), which was good for a tie for 38th place in the 48-player field. Hansen tallied a 81 in final-round action. She started the tournament with a 78 followed by rounds of 82 and 84 in day two and three play. Junior Meghan Hunter rounded out the lineup with a tie for 43rd place at 327 (+39) overall. She shot a 77 in the opening round and a 84 in round two before concluding the tournament with back-to-back rounds of 83 in each of the last two days.

Rollins' Joanna Coe captured individual medalist honors with a one-under par score of 287 for the tournament. Coe, who fired the event's lowest score with a 68 in Thursday's third round, held on for the victory despite shooting a 75 over the final 18 holes. Florida Southern's Heather Burgner claimed runner-up laurels with a 291 (+3) figure.

The NCAA-II Championships were held in conjunction with the NCAA Division II Spring Championships Festival in Houston.

Junior Raquel Hansen contributed to the Bulldogs' success at nationals by tying for 38th place.

The Bulldogs, under interim head coach Mike Mignano, made their ninth trip to the NCAA-II Championships in the program's history and fifth-straight national tourney appearance this season.

This year also marks the fifth consecutive year the FSU women's golf team has placed among the top four teams in the nation. Last season, the Bulldogs posted a third-place finish at the 2007 NCAA-II Women's Golf Championships (May 9-12) in Pace, Fla., as a result of carding a four-round 1,228-stroke total. The Bulldogs were second in the 2006 national tournament and tied for runner-up honors in the 2004 national event along with a fourth-place finish in 2005.

The teams competing in the 2008 NCAA-II Championships along with Ferris State included Rollins (Fla.), Nova Southeastern (Fla.), Tarleton State (Texas), Western Washington, Nebraska-Omaha, and Augustana (S.D.). Four other players took part as individual participants.

Visit This Link For Complete Final Results From The 2008 NCAA Division II Women's Golf Championships: http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=969