Indiana University Athletics
2001-02 Hoosier Season Preview
8/10/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
August 10, 2001
2001-02 Hoosier Women's Golf Preview
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Tiffany Fisher will look to lead the Hoosiers as the squad's lone senior. Danah Ford heads up a strong sophomore class. |
“I think that we can have a good, solid team,” said Carmichael. “We lost two very good players last year in Natalie Tucker and Inga Snyder, but we have players who have some experience and are hopefully ready to take over the no. 1 and no. 2 positions in the lineup. We have a lot of strength throughout our lineup, anyone of five who can be that no. 1 player, but who will she be? We need someone to emerge.”
Missing from last season are all-conference players Natalie Tucker and Inga Snyder. Tucker won medalist honors in one tournament and finished in the top-10 in eight others. She posted a stroke average of 75.3 and competed in all 32 rounds for the Hoosiers. Snyder came on in the spring to finish in the top-20 in seven of the eight tournaments she competed in, averaging 77.7 strokes a round. Although both will be missed, the depth of this year’s squad makes replacing them an easier task.
“We have depth throughout the lineup and that should make it extremely competitive with players trying to qualify to make the lineup,” said Carmichael. “Of the top eight or nine players, anyone could challenge and that should keep everyone working very hard.”
Of the eight returnees, five players received several rounds of collegiate tournament experience last season and have the talent to compete for the top spot in the lineup.
“I have five players who could be number one,” said Carmichael. “Who that is right now, I don’t know. I need someone who can put a 73 on the board every time, regardless of the conditions. We certainly have the potential of the returning players doing that and they have the experience and should be able to step in and take over.”
Leading the way could be any one of a group of three-to-five players. Tiffany Fisher stands out as the team’s lone senior, but will be challenged by a strong sophomore class that includes Ambry Bishop, Karen Dennison and Danah Ford.
Fisher, who leads all active Hoosiers with 92 career rounds, competed in all 32 rounds last season as a junior, registering a 78.3 stroke average. She tied for fifth at the Big Ten Championships and posted five top-25 finishes during the year.
“Tiffany had some excellent tournaments for us last season but we need for her to get her scoring average down” said Carmichael. “She has the ability to score, she just needs to not worry about it so much.”
Ford returns after having had a very productive redshirt freshman year. She played in 29 rounds, posting a 79.0 stroke average and had three top-25 finishes in 11 tournaments. Ford showed her potential over the summer as she won the Indiana Women’s Amateur Match Play tournament and the IWGA Indiana State Amateur Championship. She also tied for seventh in the Indiana Women’s State Open and defended her championship in the Indianapolis Women’s City Amateur Championship.
“Danah played pretty solid all last season with a number of scores in the 70s, she just needs to improve her consistency to be the player we need for her to be. She has tremendous potential,” said Carmichael.
Dennison also enjoyed a solid first-year, registering a 78.5 stroke average. After a slow start in the fall, Dennison made some swing changes over the winter months and ended up making a tremendous impact down the stretch for the Hoosiers with three top-20 finishes.
“Karen came on great for us this past spring,” said Carmichael. “We made some swing changes and she really adapted to them. Karen is a good ball striker with great distance and wonderful accuracy.”
Bishop will be looking to move up in the lineup after playing her inaugural season at both the no. 4 and 5 positions. In all, she played 20 rounds, registering a 79.9 stroke average.
“Ambry had some good, solid rounds as a freshman but needs to become more consistent with her play,” said Carmichael. “She works hard and wants to play so I think she can do that.”
Also battling for their spots in the lineup will be juniors Adrienne Graessle and Cara Stuckey, along with sophomores Shannon Carney and Mary Lidester.
Graessle, who played in 10 rounds as a sophomore, will be one of the players who will make it very challenging and competitive for the team during qualifying rounds.
“Adrienne played well in the fall but slumped in the spring so hopefully she worked hard this summer and got her scores back down. She will make it competitive for everyone,” said Carmichael.
Stuckey comes into the year after having had an impressive summer out on the links. She shot a 77-68 to finish one-over par and place third at the Indiana Women’s State Open, and then finished seventh at the IWGA State Amateur Championship. Coach Carmichael will be looking for those low scores to carry over into the school year.
“We need for Cara to get her scoring average down and every once in awhile throw in a low score,” said Carmichael. “She is an excellent competitor and has the ability to do that.”
Carney and Lidester will also be looking to prove themselves this upcoming season. Carney’s only collegiate competition came at the Indiana Invitational where she competed as an individual. Lidester has yet to play an official round for the Hoosiers after having redshirted the year after transferring from Ohio State.
“Both Shannon and Mary are very talented and competitive golfers,” said Carmichael. “They will give us a lot of strength throughout our lineup.”
Sophomore Jeana Finlinson and redshirt freshman Bethany Brunner come into the season with hopes of being real contributors. “Jeana is a long-ball hitter and has a lot of ability,” said Carmichael.
“Bethany is very competitive and really enjoys playing. I can see her coming in and shooting some low scores.”
The Hoosiers will also welcome freshmen Katie Carlson and Megan Mulhaupt who join the squad this year as walk-ons, giving the Hoosiers even more depth.
With a young, but talented lineup, several players will need to elevate their games in order for the Hoosiers to keep pace with their tough Big Ten Conference counterparts. The talent is there, the experience is there, the depth is there. It is unclear as to which players will fall into what roles but one thing Coach Carmichael is sure of is that his team will be focused on regaining the Big Ten crown.
“The Big Ten is going to be a very tough conference once again, but certainly we expect to win the Big Ten or we would not have been competing up to our potential, said Carmichael. “We should have a solid year. We have depth throughout the lineup and it should be extremely competitive with players trying to qualify and that should keep everyone working hard all year long.”
