Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Head to Big Ten Tournament
4/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
April 24, 2001
Hoosiers Look Forward to Big Ten Tournament
Match Information
The Indiana women's golf team heads to the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis, Minn. this upcoming weekend. The tournament is made up of four rounds beginning with 36 holes on Friday, April 27th and 18 holes on both Saturday, April 28th and Sunday, April 29th. The University of Minnesota Les Boldtad Golf Course is 5,979 yards with a par of 72. Friday and Sunday competition tees off at 8 a.m. and Saturday begins at 9 a.m. The champion is the Big Ten automatic qualifier to NCAA Regional.
Tournament Facts and Figures
Indiana has been quite successful among its Big Ten opponents. Over the past twelve years, last season was the only season the Hoosiers did not finish in the top two in the Big Ten. Indiana shot a 1214 in 1999-00 to finish in fifth place.
The Purdue Boilermakers are the defending Big Ten Champions. Purdue shot a 293 in the final round, and their four-round total of 1,167 was a new Big Ten Tournament record. Indiana had held the previous mark of 1,196 set at the 1998 tournament at Penn State. Last year was the first time four sub-300 rounds were recorded in the tournament's history. Purdue also set the low team 18-hole record (287), the low 36-hole mark (576), and the low 54-hole mark of 874. These are the records Indiana will be looking to break in this year's competition.
In the Rankings
According to the MasterCard Collegiate Golf rankings released April 18th, the Hoosiers are ranked 28th. Indiana senior Natalie Tucker is leading the pack ranked at No. 30 Tucker is rated second on the Sagarin rating charts in the Big Ten Individual Standings. Five other Hoosier are ranked among the top 50 in the Big Ten. Senior Inga Snyder is rated at nine, junior Tiffany Fisher at 28, freshman Karen Dennison at 34, redshirt freshman Cara Stuckey at 44, and freshman Ambry Bishop at 46.
Golfweek.com also posts rankings and picks the Hoosiers at No. 34 according to the April 23rd standings. Tucker is ranked No. 31 among the individual golfers. Senior Inga Snyder is also among the rankings at No. 95.
Meet Head Coach Sam Carmichael
Sam Carmichael, seven-time Big Ten Women's Coach of the Year, is now in his 21st season as Indiana's women's golf coach. Before Carmichael directed his attention soley to the women's golf program in 1998, he spent nine years as IU's men's golf coach. During his time as the men's coach, Carmichael won Coach of the Year honors twice (1991 and 1998) and the 1991 and the 1998 Big Ten title.
In 1981, Carmichael assumed the position of head coach for the IU women's team, which he has led to seven Big Ten Championships in the last 13 years and 10 top-three finishes. During a 16-year span from 1984-99, Indiana is the only team in the Big Ten to place in the top three every year. Also, Indiana's seven Big Ten titles are the most won by any school in the league.
Carmichael has been named Big Ten Women's Coach of the year seven times and has received NCAA Regional Coach of the Year honors four times.
Impressive Field of Competition
All teams in the Big Ten are ranked in the top 100 schools in the nation. Seven of the teams are in the top 50 and three are in the top 20. Here is a look at the golfweek.com rankings.
School Rank
Northwestern: 16
Ohio State: 17
Purdue: 20
Michigan State: 23
Indiana: 30
Michigan: 32
Minnesota: 47
Penn State: 62
Wisconsin: 65
Illinois: 75
Iowa: 87
That 70's Show
Freshman Karen Dennison made her first spring road trip of the year to the Hawkeye Invitational on April 14-15th. In her first round, Dennison shot a 70, three under the par for the course. The 18-hole total was the lowest round shot for the tournament as well as a career-low for Dennison.
Individual Performers
Three Hoosiers competed as individuals at the Indiana Invite April 7th and 8th. Two of them finished in the top 20 among the individual golfers. Freshman Karen Dennison finished tied for 15th with a 236 and redshirt Cara Stuckey shot a 237 to finish in a tie for 18th place. The two were fourth and fifth respectively among the Hoosiers.
Career Rounds
Several Hoosiers have shot career rounds or finished with career three-round totals this year during fall and spring competition.
Adrienne Grassle: shot a 78 at the Northern Invitational this past fall, finishing with a career total of 240.
Inga Snyder: Tied career round with a 71 at the GTE "Mo"morial and has had two top three-round performances. Snyder shot a 230 at the GTE and a 236 at the Indiana Invite.
Cara Stuckey: Tied career round of 77 at the Northern and Legends Invitationals. Most recently shot a career-low 236 at the Indiana Invite.
Natalie Tucker: Tied career round with 69 at the Stanford Invitational. Also tied a career-best three round total with a 218 at the Stanford Invite.
Ambry Bishop: Shot a career best 73 at the Baylor/Iowa Shootout with her best three round total of 227 at the Legends Invitational.
Danah Ford: Finished with a 227 at the Legends Invitational, shooting a career round of 74.
Karen Dennison: Shot a best-round 70 at the Hawkeye Invitational, finished with a low three round 229 at the Buckeye Invitational.
Golfer of the Week
Senior Natalie Tucker shot a final round of 72 at the Baylor/Iowa Shootout and then won a playoff to take the individual title. Her efforts were recognized as she was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week the week of March 26th. Tucker has finished out of the top 10 individual golfers in only one tournament in the 2000-2001 season. Of the seven competitions, she finished among the top three golfers in five.
High Ranking Bishop
Freshman Ambry Bishop is making her name known among the Indiana women's golf team. She shot a career-low 73 at the Baylor/Iowa Shootout to finish at seven-over-par with a 151 and sole possession of third place in the tournament. Bishop also traveled to the Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational and finished in a tie for 17th place among the individual golfers.
The Right Start
The Hoosiers knew how they wanted to start the spring season - at the top. They did just that finishing in first place at the GTE "Mo"morial and shot only one stroke higher than the leader for a second place finish at the Peggy Kirk Bell. The Hoosiers continued their winning ways at the Baylor/Iowa Shootout, taking the tournament crown with a two-round total of 608. Indiana has finished in first or second place in four of the six tournaments this spring and have never finished lower than fifth place.
Stuckey Smarts
Red-shirt freshman Cara Stuckey recently received the Indiana University Scholastic Achievement Award for women's golf. This award, established in 1979, honors the academic excellence of one athlete every year in each varsity sport at Indiana, as well as the Student Athletic Board.
Iron Women
A young group of women make up the golf team this year. Only three seniors are returning, one with junior eligibility status. They are joined by three red-shirted freshmen, three true freshmen, one sophomore, and one junior. The state of Indiana sports 11 of the 13 golfers on the team. The two "out-of-staters" are from LaCrosse, Wis. and Easton, Penn.
Up to Par
Coach Carmichael will travel with six Hoosiers to the Big Ten Tournament. The top four scores of each day count. The six on the travel squad are Natalie Tucker, Inga Snyder, Tiffany Fisher, Danah Ford, Ambry Bishop, and Karen Dennison.
Smooth Swinging Snyder
The leader of the team, senior Inga Snyder is entering her final year as a Hoosier. Snyder has competed in all five tournaments this spring and had her best finish at the Baylor/Iowa Shootout. Snyder finished tied for fourth after shooting rounds of 76 each day. She also finished in a tie for 13th place at the GTE "Mo"morial and tied for 11th place at the Peggy Kirk Bell. She is averaging a 77.1 this season.
Tucker Attack
Senior Natalie Tucker is in her second season on the Indiana women's golf team. Tucker has been Indiana's top finisher in all competitions of the season. Only twice has she not finished in the top ten in the individual scores. Tucker holds a current season average of 74.4. In the first spring competition, Tucker finished tied for third and at the Peggy Kirk Bell she took sole posession of third place. Her best finish was the individual crown at the Baylor/Iowa Shootout. She has been a top Hoosier after transfering to Indiana from University of Memphis. In her first season with IU she earned All-Big Ten honors and was an honorable mention All-American. Tucker placed fifth at the Big Ten Championship and 28th at the NCAA Eastern Regionals.
Ford Keeps on Truckin'
A redshirt freshman last season, Danah Ford has begun to put her mark on the women's golf team. She has participated with Indiana in nine competitions and finished second for the Hoosiers in four of the tournaments. Ford keeps improving her scores and is holding a 78.9 average.
Fishing for a Win
Junior Tiffany Fisher looks to help lead the team to victory this season. Through fall and spring competition, she is maintaining a 78.4 average. Her best finish of the season was a tie for 13th place at the Indiana Invitational
Ready for Action
After being red-shirted their freshmen seasons, Shannon Carney, Jenna Finlinson, and Cara Stuckey are ready to spark the Hoosiers into action.
Carney is a four-year letterwinner in golf, was a four-time conference champion and four-time first team All-Conference selection. She was also awarded conference Player of the Year twice. She has worked through last season to develop her long game and develop strength and distance.
Finlinson did not play competitive golf until she arrived at Indiana last year. She has been working hard and continuing to improve, hoping to help the Hoosiers.
A Terre Haute, Ind., native, Cara Stuckey is working hard for the Hoosier lineup. She participated in two of the fall invitationals and competed as an individual at the GTE "Mo"morial and Indiana Invitational.
Once a Buckeye...
Now a Hoosier, sophomore Mary Lidester played 20 rounds for Ohio State last season. Her best finish was tied for 16th at the Indiana Invitational last year.
On the Green Graessle
Sophomore Adrienne Graessle stepped up for Indiana this year. She traveled to the Northern Invitational, the Mary Fossum, and the Stanford competition for the Hoosiers this season, competing once as an individual and twice for the team. She has kept an 81.5 average this year.
Driving Forces
Three freshmen hope to help the Hoosiers to their eighth Big Ten title.
Karen Dennison, from Madison, Ind., is a four-time All-Conference and two-time conference champion. She finished second in the state tournament her senior year. Dennison has participated in two competitions in the fall and recently tied for 15th place at the Indiana Invitational where she competed as an individual.
Ambry Bishop is making an immediate impact on IU women's golf. She is a four-year letterwinner and was named to the Indiana All-State golf team four years in a row. At Franklin High School in Franklin, Ind., Bishop was a three time team MVP and a two-time All-Conference. She finished eighth last summer in the State Amatuer and also in the 2000 Indiana PGA Women's Open Championship.
Bethany Brunner joins the Hoosiers from Martinsville, Ind., where she led her golf team to four straight IHSAA state championships. She was named All-State four consecutive years and was regional champion in 1999.
