STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford posted an even-par round for the third straight day as the Cardinal finished second Sunday in the Stanford Intercollegiate hosted by Dr. Condoleezza Rice at Stanford Golf Course.
Stanford (284-284-284) was a model of consistency throughout the 54-hole event, holding off third-place Northwestern (+1) for its silver honor. USC (-15) won the overall title with Washington (+7), Arizona State (+8) and Florida State (+8) rounding out the top five.
Pepperdine's Hira Naveed (67-70-68) shot a 3-under 68 to match UCLA's Marial Galdiano (71-62-72) at 8-under for medalist honors.
Albane Valenzuela (67-69-70), Stanford's top finisher, held her own for third at 7-under in her first appearance this fall.
"I'm pretty happy with our finish and being with the team, as this was my first tournament of the year," said Valenzuela. "There were a lot of positives to take away, and it was nice to have our great tournament volunteers and fans here to support us. There were a lot of positive vibes we could feel on the course.
"I knew I had a shot (for medalist honors) and I tried to stay patient. I didn't play that well today and my game wasn't all there. I didn't leave myself many birdie opportunities, but three under-par rounds for the tournament is a good thing."
Valenzuela bogeyed the par-5 first, then battled back to get to 1-under after birdies on Nos. 10 and 13. She was even-par for the next five holes.
Emily Wang (74-70-72) was 3-over for a top-25 finish, and Calista Reyes (73-70-73) joined Wang with a 3-over.
Kelsey Zeng (73-73-72) and Aline Krauter (75-73-70) each shot 5-over for a share of 34th.
Mika Liu (70-72-78) was 7-over and tied for 39th. Madie Chou (76-74-73) was 47th and Sierra Kersten (87-85-87) was 89th.
Stanford returns to competition Oct. 29-31 at the prestigious and nationally-televised East Lake Cup at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The event features women's and men's semifinalists from the 2018 NCAA Championships. The Cardinal is making its fourth consecutive appearance.
