Oct. 13, 2012

Florence, Ind. - Illinois posted rounds of 309 and 304 to finish the first day of the Hoosier Fall Invitational in fifth-place in the 12-team field.

Places 5-10 are a logjam and the Illini broke out of that pack with a strong finish to the round at the 6,119-yard, par-72 Belterra Resort course. Illinois enters Sunday's third and final round at +37 (613), just ahead of Iowa (+38), Augusta State (+38), Boston College (+41), East Tennessee State (+43) and Illinois State (+43).

Host Indiana played the final round at three-under par and at +4 for the tournament, holds a 12-shot advantage over Wisconsin (+16). Minnesota (+20) and Missouri (+24) round out the top four.

Ember Schuldt had six birdies in her 36 holes to pace the Illini individually. Schuldt posted rounds of 74-75 and sits tied for 13th at +5 heading into Sunday's 7:30 a.m. CT shotgun start. Sophomores' Samantha Postillion (78-74) and Pimploy Thirati (76-77) are also in the top-25 of the 77-player field, in a tie for 22nd and 24th, respectively. Postillion had three birdies in her last eight holes.

Freshman Michelle Mayer (81-79) is tied for 46th at +16 while sophomore teammate Jacqueline Calamaro is tied for 52nd at +17. Senior Crystal Smith (82-83) is competing as an individual and is tied for 68th.

Fans can follow live scoring at golfstatresults.com .