Led by the individual efforts of freshman Milena Savich and sophomore Louisa Shu, the Michigan women's golf team proved that mediocrity is not the norm at the Landfall Tradition Wilmington, N.C., finishing third with a score of 916.

Many felt that a respectable fifth-place finish at the Lady Northern Invitational last weekend would trigger a strong start at the Pine Course on Friday, but that wasn't the case. The team overcame an eighth-place performance in the first round of the three-day, 12-team tournament.

“We felt that we should have played better,” Michigan coach Kathy Teichert said of the initial showing. “There were some bad mistakes.”

Friday’s gusty wind also took its toll on the team’s total stroke count. Senior Lydia Benítez Colón, Savich and sophomore Min Yean Tan all shot eight-over-par 80s to tie at 26th individually, an average performance but not what was needed to move beyond eighth place. The team shot 321 after the first day, 14 strokes behind the top four teams.

“I have very high expectations for myself,” Milena said when asked if she felt pressure to perform at a high standard after an average showing.

The next day proved much more favorable. The team capitalized on a remarkable three-under par effort by Savich, a career best, to take fourth place, edging Florida by a stroke and closing the gap between Michigan and third-place Ohio State to a mere six strokes.

Though Savich hit the best overall for the team, Teichert was quick to point out that Shu was the tournament's unsung hero. After posting a first-round score of 84, she posted consecutive scores of 73 and finished tied for 15th.

“She came back from a disappointing performance,” Teichert said. “She was the key.”

The freshman was not the only golfer seeking to play better. Colón, the lone senior on the roster, stayed consistent to match her score from the first round. The other three starters followed in Savich’s footsteps, contributing to a team total of 294 in the second round — a remarkable 27-stroke improvement on Friday’s round of play.

In the last round, the team shot an excellent 301 to clinch a third-place tie with North Carolina. Ohio State came in second with 908 and Wake Forest won the tournament with a team score of 880.

Teichert summed up the overall feeling of her players best as they prepared to fly back to Ann Arbor.

“We’re feeling great," she said. "We finished (third) in a very competitive field.”