Feb. 25, 2003

LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech's Sheila Mendez (El Paso, Texas/Franklin) shot a final round, 1-under 71 to lead the Lady Raiders to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Central District Invitational Tuesday at the River Wilderness Golf Club in Parrish, Fla.

Tech finished the second round Monday in a tie for 10th place in the 15-team field and turned in the fourth-best round of the day to move up the ladder to sixth.

Mendez shot a 230 and improved her standing from 34th after two rounds to a tie for 16th with her final round score to lead Tech in scoring. Jackie Ey (San Antonio, Texas/Churchill) finished a stroke back in 18th place. Kim Kolb (Sioux Falls, S.D./O'Gorman) and Megan Hull (Mansfield, Texas/Mansfield) finished tied in 37th and 47th place, respectively, while Hazel Tan (Sarasota, Fla./Bradenton Academy) was 58th.

Ohio State (909) won the event by six strokes over Baylor (915). Kansas State (923) and Texas A&M (923) tied in third place, followed by Nebraska (927) in fifth. Missouri (934) tied with the Lady Raiders in sixth, while Kent State (316) and Michigan (318) finished in an eighth-place tie.

Tournament host Michigan State (938) and Illinois (938) tied in 10th, while Indiana (308), Northwestern (947), Minnesota (956) and Iowa State (964) finished 11th through 15th.

Ohio State's Kristen White picked up medallist honors with a one-stroke win over the second-place competitor.

The Lady Raiders will compete in the Texas A&M "Mo"morial March 3-4 in Houston.