Hoosiers take first in Mountain View Collegiate tourney

The Hoosiers desperately needed to get back on track and get a good finish \nthis weekend. \nThey managed to do that and more by winning the Mountain View Collegiate this past weekend. This result was IU’s first team title since Sept. 11, 2006, when it won the Lady Badger Invitational.\nThis was not the only achievement for the Hoosiers, as senior Lauren Harling put the icing on the cake and picked up IU’s first individual title since last year’s Mountain View Collegiate when senior Elaine Harris won the title. \nHarling, who has been the top-finishing Hoosier in each of the last three tournaments, finished 1-under-par with a score of 215.\nAfterward, she credited her first career win to being in the right place at the right time. \n“I feel really good,” Harling said. “I played solid and put myself in a good position to win.” \nHarling also said the team’s victory was equally important for its future prospects.\n“We knew we had to play well to be in contention for postseason play, and we did just that,” she said. \nAs a team, IU won by nine strokes over second place San Jose State. Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Missouri rounded out the top five.\nThe Hoosiers achieved the victory by shooting a three-round total of 880, which broke down into scores of 294, 295 and 291, respectively.\nIU coach Clint Wallman credited the win to the team’s preparation.\n“We had a good week of practice and took care of what we needed to,” Wallman said. “I am proud of the girls and how we played as a team.”\nIn addition to Harling, two other Hoosier players reached the top 10 as sophomores Laura Nochta and Anita Gahir finished fourth and seventh, respectively.\nGahir, who shot a 4-under-par on the final day of the tournament, said afterward she thought she and the team was relaxed during the tournament.\n“I felt like I was more patient today,” Gahir said. “The team was also really patient, and we worked hard to get the result we did.”\nRounding out IU’s lineup was sophomore Kellye Belcher who placed 49th, while Harris – \nin stark contrast to last year – placed 76th. \nAlso competing as an individual, junior Amber Lindgren placed 83rd. \nThe Hoosiers will now head to the prestigious Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind., where they will host the IU Invitational, their only home tournament of the year, April 7 and 8. \nWallman said the Mountain View Collegiate will provide a boost for the upcoming \nIU Invitational.\n“We now have momentum for Crooked Stick and the girls will play with a sense of urgency there,” he said.