Yellowjackets Finish Third at RMAC Championship; Nordeen Named to All-Tournament Team

BUCKEYE, Ariz. – The Montana State Billings women’s golf team finished third at the 2009 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship Sunday.   The Yellowjackets tallied a 36-hole score of 684 on the par 72, 5,966-yard Sundance Golf Club course.  Upper Iowa led the way with a 630 score.  MSUB

MSUB and Fort Hays State headed into the championship and the final RMAC Tournament of the year tied in the standings with 24 points each.  Fort Hays State finished second (669) behind Upper Iowa and is crowned the RMAC regular season and tournament champion.  Fort Hays State received nine points in the RMAC standings for finishing second and MSUB received eight for finishing third.  FHSU edged the Yellowjackets, 33-32 for the year.

Upper Iowa, who is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, competed in the championship as the top seed in the Central Region.  Also NSIC members Saint Cloud State and Southwest Minnesota competed in the tournament along with the 10 RMAC schools.

Western New Mexico finished fourth (685) followed by Mesa State (694) to round out the top five.

MSUB junior, Amy Nordeen, was named to the five-member all-tournament team.  Regis’ Alex Semanko was named Most Valuable Player after tying for fourth with a 162 score.  Upper Iowa had the top three scores individually as Rochelle Schmidt earned medalist honors as she carded an 11-over 155, including a tournament-best 3-over 75 Sunday.  Nordeen finished ninth with a 167 score. 

Freshman, Kalli Stanhope, finished right behind Nordeen with a 168 score and fired a 79 Sunday to tie for 10th.  Erin Heaney finished tied for 26th with a 175 score, followed by Lindsay Erickson who carded a 176 and tied for 28th.  Libby Rutz shot a 179 for 36-holes and finished tied for 31st.