BROOKINGS, SD – The University of Sioux Falls Women's Golf team competed against a loaded field of DI programs at the Jackrabbit Intercollegiate and placed 9^th overall. Maggie Veenendall continued her strong start by leading the Cougars with a top-10 finish.
 
USF scored 103-over par with 967 (330-314-323) finishing ahead of the University of St. Thomas (987) and only 15 strokes behind Omaha (952). South Dakota State University won the tournament with a 31-over par score of 895 while North Dakota State (905) and CSU Fullerton (906) placed 2^nd and 3^rd respectively. CSU Fullerton's Elina Saksa shot three-over par with 219 to take home the individual crown while Lani Potter (221) of SDSU placed second. NDSU's Elise Hoven and SDSU's Shakira Kuys tied for third with eight-over par scores of 224.
 
"This tournament made us realize how good we can be, we competed against an all DI field and at one point were within five strokes of 8^th place. Right now we're a good team and this tournament showed us we can be great." said Head Coach Wade Merry. "Marisa had a great second round and Savannah impressed with how she finished. Maggie showed why she's our best player now and Paige showed why she's the future."
 
Veenendall tied her career best round for the second time this season with a second round one-over par 73. Overall she led the Cougars shooting 13-over par with 229 (78-73-78) and tied for 10^th place. In the first round she sank birdies on the 482-yard hole 5 and 372-yard hole 9 in addition to eight pars. Her second round featured birdies on three holes; the 141-yard hole 2, the 482-yard hole 5, and the 512-yard hole 14 plus 11 pars. Veenendall's final round featured ten more par shots and a birdie on the 326-yard hole 4. In total she carded 29 par shots and 6 birdies.
 
Paige Hillman followed up her solid debut last week with an impressive and consistent outing as she shot 23-over par at 239 with scores of 83, 77, and 79 that landed her tied for 38^th overall. Her first round featured a birdie on the 326-yard hole 4 and 8 pars. Her second round tied her debut, and current best round, with a five-over par 77 that included 9 pars and two birdies that came on the 364-yard hole 10 and again on hole 4. Hillman carded birdies on the 141-yard hole 3 and 366-yard hole 16 plus eight pars in the final round. In total she sank five birdies and 25 pars in the tournament.
 
Marisa Weeks had the second best round for the Cougars with her four-over par 73 in the middle round where she sank a birdie on the 512-yard hole 14 and 13 pars. Weeks first round featured eight pars and a birdie on the 351-yard hole 15 en route to an 11-over par 83. She also carded eight pars in her 12-over par 84 during the final round. Weeks claimed a total score of 243 (27-over par) with two birdies and 29 pars as she placed tied for 45^th.
 
Savannah Vincent made her debut at the Jackrabbit invitational and placed 59^th with a 41-over par 257. Her first round 86 included five pars while her second round 88 included six of them. Vincent improved in the final round with an 83 due to her nine pars. In total she carded 20 pars in her first collegiate tournament.
 
Maddi Hanson placed 63^rd with her 44-over par 260 (87-90-83). She tallied five pars in the first, four in the second and seven in the final round for a total of sixteen.
 
USF Women's Golf will play its next tournament in Maplewood, MN at the 2021 Golden Bear Classic on September 20^th and 21^st. Stay tuned to USFCougars.com for updates and results!