No. 23 Notre Dame competed in the Westbrook Spring Invitational in Peoria, Arizona, this weekend, where it finished sixth in a strong field that included No. 16 San Diego State, UNLV, Kansas State, Ohio State and Oregon.
The first two rounds were played Sunday, and as the day drew to a close, the Irish found themselves in fifth place after posting an even-par score of 576 over the 36 holes. Four of the five teams in the top five were only separated by three strokes, and several Irish golfers were in the front of the pack. Leading the way was senior captain Talia Campbell, who was tied for fifth individually after a score of 3 under par, notching two of the nine eagles in the first day of the competition. Following her were two Irish freshmen, Isabella DiLisio and Emma Albrecht, who were in 11th and 30th place, respectively. Both golfers had solid opening rounds but stumbled in the afternoon session with several bogies. Finally, the Irish closed out with sophomore Kari Bellville in 43rd, freshman Maddie Rose Hamilton in 54th and junior Jordan Ferreira in 66th.
Notre Dame began the final round Monday morning within reach of teams above it, but the Irish slid to sixth place with a 1-over-par 289, posting the fifth-lowest 54-hole score in school history at 865. The Irish were poised to garner a third-place finish but gave back four strokes on the final three holes to place sixth. Campbell and DiLisio built on their success in the first two rounds, finishing tied for ninth with a tournament score of 2 under par. DiLisio tied her career low from this past fall with a three-round 214, while Notre Dame also got solid finishes from its other golfers, with Albrecht finishing up 33rd at 3 over par, Hamilton placing 48th at 6 over and Bellville, who rounded out the lineup, in 79th.
The Irish finished six strokes ahead of the only other top-25 team at the tournament, San Diego State, but fell to five teams below it in the rankings, including Oregon who won the tournament at 10-under. Notre Dame returns to play March 11 when it hosts the fifth annual Clover Cup in Mesa, Arizona.
