Chapel Hill, N.C. – Western Carolina women's golf finished play in 17th place in the heavily Power Four Conference-laden Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational which concluded on Sunday at the par-70, 6,081-yard UNC Finley Golf Course. Senior Elizabeth Lohbauer posted WCU's best individual finish in a tie for 40th at the penultimate event of the fall semester.
 
Lohbauer overcame a plus-4 start over her first five holes in the final round, moving back to 3-over with her first of two birdies on Sunday on the par-5 eighth. After an additional double-bogey and a bogey, the Venice, Fla., product capped her final round with her team-best seventh birdie of the tournament to shoot 75 for a three-day score of 222.
 
Freshmen Madison Lehr and Annalee Caveny posted matching finishes in a tie for 75th overall both with three-day scores of 234. Caveney was down six spots in the final standings after finishing her tournament with a 9-over par  79,  while Lehr dropped 18 positions into the gridlock after shooing 82.
 
Rounding out WCU's scoring five were freshman Ella Kozak, down a spot into a tie for 81st with a total of 238, and junior Sadler Miller in a tie for 89th overall with a tally of 247. Koazak was one shy of matching Lohbauer for the team lead in pars, posting 31 while Lohbaher finished with 32.
 
Paced by tournament individual medalist Andie Smith, Duke climbed four spots in the standings to claim the team championship by three strokes over the two-way tie between Michigan State and Wake Forest which advanced onto the podium by gaining a pair of positions over the final 18 holes. Tournament host North Carolina likewise gained a pair of spots to finish fourth with a three-day score of 861 as Tennessee slid three pegs in the finishing order into fifth place at 865 to round out the Top Five.
 
Smith carded all three rounds in the 60s over the weekend to shoot 7-under par 203 to win by five strokes over second-place Caroline Lopez-Chacarra of Wake Forest who climbed two spots into the runner-up position. Marie Madsen of NC State and North Carolina's Megan Streicher shared the third-place spot with matching scores of 210, seven strokes in arrears.
 
Western Carolina closes the fall portion of its schedule on Oct. 25-27, when the Catamounts travel to Huntsville, Ala., for "The Robbie," hosted by Lipscomb at the RTJ Hampton Cove – Highlands. The three-round, 54-hole event will be played over three days.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount women's golf and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountWGolf).
 
17 – Western Carolina – 306 – 305 – 316 = 611 (+51)
T40 – Elizabeth Lohbauer – 75-72-75 = 222 (+12)
T75 – Madison Lehr – 75-77-82 = 234 (+24)
T75 – Annalee Caveney – 80-75-79 = 234 (+24)
T81 – Ella Kozak – 77-81-80 = 238 (+28)
T89  – Sadler Miller – 79-81-87 = 247 (+37)