The Gophers once again finished near the middle of the pack this weekend at the Lady Northern Invitational at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wisc., and finished in eighth place out of 15 teams Monday. The team shot a 54-over-par 914 in three rounds, good enough for seventh out of the 11 Big Ten teams that participated. The Gophers finished the first round in ninth place on Sunday before bad weather forced the remainder of the second round to be suspended until Monday. Defending Big Ten champions Purdue won the event, finishing with a 1-over-par team total and the top two individuals in the tournament. Junior Maude-Aimee LeBlanc took home medalist honors for the Boilermakers at 6-under-par, while teammate Junthima Gulyanamitta finished just three back at 3-under-par. Both players were named first-team All-Big Ten in each of their first two years and seem well on their way to a third straight honor. Minnesota finished behind Indiana by four strokes at seventh place, while Illinois followed in ninth by two strokes. Leading the Gophers were junior Teresa Puga and freshman Jackie Shepherd, who tied at ten-over par for 21st overall. Puga and Shepherd said that consistency was what allowed them to play well. âÄúI guess overall I thought my play was pretty consistent,âÄù Shepherd said. âÄúI was happy with the way I played.âÄù Juniors Samantha Sommers and Mary Narzisi shot 13- and 17-over-par, respectively. Sommers ended in a tie for 29th place, while Narzisi tied for 42nd overall. Senior Christine Herzog finished tied for 76th at 28-over, while Junior Michelle Edlin placed 85th at 33-over. Sommers said that a positive attitude will be helpful for the teamâÄôs improvement. âÄúI think just being positive with the outcome [is important],âÄù Sommers said. âÄúJust thinking, âÄòHey, we have one more shot, we can do this.âÄô âÄù Shepherd said patience will be a virtue for the squad. âÄúEveryone has such great games that I think we really can do pretty well,âÄù Shepherd said. The Gophers women will head to Boulder, Colo. for the Heather Farr Memorial Invitational next Monday.