LAS VEGAS – Senior Shealyn Hafer took second place at the Minot State University Beaver Invitational, and helped the Montana State University Billings women's golf team finish second overall after the final round at Aliante Golf Club on Saturday.
 
Hafer followed a 77 on Friday with an 82 on Saturday, finishing with a two-round total of 159 to take second. She was just two strokes behind individual champion Eryn Ellis of Rocky Mountain College, who shot a 157 (76-81).
 
MSUB finished the event with a team score of 659 on the par-72, 5,939-yard course, as it shot a 341 on Saturday after a 318 on Friday. Rocky Mountain College slipped past MSUB to win the event by four strokes, with rounds of 328 Friday and 327 on Saturday.
 
"We beat ourselves as a team, and we need to learn to play to win when we have the lead instead of playing not to lose," said head coach Jeff Allen, as his team held a 10-stroke lead over Rocky entering Saturday's round. "I was happy with Shealyn's performance, and she toughed it out. She struggled a bit more than yesterday, but she is a grinder and kept playing hard all the way to the finish."
 
Renae Heisler, who held the individual lead after Round 1, finished in a tie for fourth place as she shot a 164 (75-89).
 
Tierney Messmer was close behind, as she tied for sixth place with a two-round total of 165 (84-81). "I was happy with Tierney Messmer," Allen said. "She also had an improvement today and stayed tough when things weren't going her way."
 
Fellow freshman Kinsey Irvin finished just out of the top-10, as she posted a 171 (82-89) and wound up in a tie for 12th place.
 
Senior Sarah Schroefel and sophomore Sydney Rochford tied for 17th place, with each shooting a 177. Schroefel carded an 87 Friday and a 90 on Saturday, while Rochford finished with rounds of 88 and 89.
 
Morgan O'Neill, Anna DeMars, and Hayden Flohr of Rocky all finished in the top-10, as the Battlin' Bears' full lineup filled the leaderboard en route to the team win.
 
THE BUZZ: Hafer was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day.
 
NEXT UP: MSUB gears up for its second tournament in Las Vegas next week, with the Winona State Warrior Invitational running Tuesday-Wednesday at Stallion Mountain Golf Club.
 
Minot State University Beaver Invitational
Final Results | March 9, 2019
Aliante Golf Club | Las Vegas, Nevada
Team – 1. Rocky Mountain College, 655 (328-327); 2. MSU Billings, 659 (318-341). Individuals – 1. Eryn Ellis, RMC, 157 (76-81); 2. Shealyn Hafer, MSUB, 159 (77-82); T4. Renae Heisler, MSUB, 164 (75-89); T6. Tierney Messmer, MSUB, 165 (80-85); T12. Kinsey Irvin, MSUB, 171 (82-89); T17. Sarah Schroefel, MSUB, 177 (87-90); T17. Sydney Rochford, MSUB (IND), 177 (88-89).