Behind the leadership of senior golfer Gwynn Shepherd, the Iowa State women’s golf team improved on their play from a week ago to claim a third place finish at the Minnesota Invitational, held Sept. 14-15 in Minneapolis.

Iowa State’s team score of 631 was a distant 20 strokes behind team medalist Oregon.

“I am very pleased with our performance,” Head Coach Julie Manning said. “It is a testament to our character after our shaky start at Nebraska.”

“I am thrilled with our third place finish,” Manning said. “We are beginning to gain some momentum and trying to improve everyday.”

Shepherd was able to post a seventh place finish for the Cyclones after posting a final tally of 155 strokes. “When Gwynn walked off of the 18th green I could see the look of relief on her face,” Manning said. “She realizes that she has to be our team leader this year and she is beginning to feel a little bit of pressure.”

Junior Cathy Matthews continues to be consistent as a collegiate golfer. Matthews completed the tournament in a tie for 10th place, one stroke behind Shepherd. “Cathy has been looking like a model of consistency for us,” Manning said.

The Cyclones had junior Sara Linneman hot on their heels with her 157-stroke total.

But the fall slate has been rough on Fiona Watson. The junior golfer finished in a tie for 35th place with her 165-stroke total. “Fiona broke a couple of toes before the Nebraska tournament and it has her a little rattled,” Manning said. “She knows that we are behind her and is definitely one of our top players.”

Redshirt freshman Kay C. Elgert made her Cyclone debut with a 167-stroke total, for a 47th place finish. “Kay is a big, strong player with terrific potential,” Manning said. “She is starting to emerge into a solid player.”

Sophomore Christina Young rounded out the six-player team for the Cyclones. Young took 171 strokes to complete her round. The sophomore, originally a walk-on to the Cyclone team, has become a workhorse for the team as of late.

“She is the type of person who just keeps hanging in there,” Manning said. “If you tell her that you need a par on this hole, she will go out and get it for you.”

“She has tremendous determination and has worked consistently to earn her spot,” Manning said.

Other notable teams playing in the tournament included Big 12 rival Kansas. The Jayhawks claimed a fourth place finish in the team title, finishing nine strokes behind the Cyclones.

Two intrastate rivals were also present for the tournament. The University of Iowa finished a distant 18 strokes behind the Cyclones with their 649-stroke total, claiming an eighth place team finish. The University of Northern Iowa Panthers finished in 10th place with their 669- stroke total.

“We have a lot of work to be done,” Manning said. “But they are fighters.”

Iowa State will again be in action this weekend when they participate in the Lady Northern. “This is a Big week, this tournament stacks us up as far as the Midwest is concerned. We will see what happens.”