Indiana opens season at Northern Invitational<br>

Indiana opens season at Northern Invitational

9/18/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf

News Update

September 18, 2001

Hoosiers Open Season at Northern Invitational

Sophomore Karen Dennison was Indiana's qualifier and will play in the No.1 spot this weekend.

Lone senior Tiffany Fisher will provide needed leadership to the Hoosiers this season..

Tournament Information
Thirteen teams (Bradley, Illinois State, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, Ohio, Penn State, Minnesota, Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Iowa and host Illinois) will join the Hoosiers in the 14-team annual Northern Invitational in Champaign, Illinois. The teams will play 18 holes each day with 8:30 a.m. tee times on Friday and Saturday, and a shotgun start at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Tournament Results
Complete tournament results will be made available on the web at www.athletics.indiana.edu following the event. Results can be viewed and printed out by choosing the Women's Golf link from the main menu. For more information, contact Jeff Smith at (812) 855-9399 or through e-mail at jepsmith@indiana.edu.

About the 2001 Northern Invitational
This 54-hole invitational will be played on the 5,842-yard, par-72 Stone Creek Golf Club. This invitational is the fall "major" for the women, giving schools an opportunity to play the golf course that will host the Big Ten Conference Championship next spring. Typically, every Big Ten school competes in the Northern, but this year three Big Ten schools --Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue -- have been invited to play in the NCAA preview meet in Seattle, Washington, September 24-26.
The Hoosiers have won the event four out of the last eight years, with their last win coming in the 1996-97 campaign.

Year IU Finish IU Score
2000-01 7th 922
IU top finisher: Natalie Tucker (2nd, 221)
1999-00 5th 917
IU top finisher: Theresa McDermott (T8th, 229)
1998-99 2nd 951
IU top finisher: Erin Carney (1st, 225)
1997-98 T3rd 903
IU top finisher: Erin Carney (5th, 221)
1996-97 1st 914
IU top finisher: Jenny Gray (T2nd, 223)
1995-96 1st 914
IU top finisher: Stacy Quilling (1st, 227)
1994-95 1st 930
IU top finisher: Erika Wicoff (1st, 223)
1993-94 1st 952
IU top finisher: Erika Wicoff and Stacy Quilling (T1st, 230)

The Starting Five
Competing for the Hoosiers in the Northern Intercollegiate will be, in playing order--sophomores Karen Dennison, Mary Lidester and Danah Ford; junior Cara Stuckey and senior Tiffany Fisher. Sophomore Ambry Bishop will travel with the team and compete as an individual.

"Quoting" the Coach
Head Coach Sam Carmichael: "This is our major of the fall. We always want to play well in this tournament. The girls will have a few butterflies from last week, but that is to be expected. Stone Creek Golf Club is a fine golf course that is in excellent condition from what we hear. It's not real tight, so there is plenty of room to work with. We'll get there, get some rounds under our belts, and get going on this season."

Northern competition "ranks" among best
According to the September 2nd Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, 10 of the 14 teams competing in the event are ranked in the top-100 teams in the nation.
21. Northwestern 62. Wisconsin
27. Kent State 63. Penn State
34. Michigan 75. Illinois
36. INDIANA 81. Bradley
47. Minnesota 85. Iowa

Hoosier Homies
On the IU Women's Golf team, eight of the 12 players are from Indiana (juniors Adrienne Graessle and Cara Stuckey; sophomores Ambry Bishop, Karen Dennison, Jeana Finlinson, Danah Ford and Mary Lidester; and freshman Bethany Brunner). Indiana is the only state that is represented by more than one golfer. The remaining states include Pennsylvania (senior Tiffany Fisher), Wisconsin (sophomore Shannon Carney), California (freshman Megan Mulhalpt) and Michigan (freshman Katie Carlson).

Hoosiers open new practice facility
Coach Sam Carmichael and the Indiana Women's Golf team unveiled their new state-of-the-art practice facility in early September. The facility, with its bent grass tees, fairways and greens, allows the IU student-athletes to practice any number of shots from 175 yards out and on in. With 17 bunkers and seven greens, the Hoosiers will be able to practice a variety of shots that they may face in tournament situations.
"The new practice facility will give the players a chance to work on their short game and be prepared to play," said Carmichael. "I don't think we've always been prepared with our short game over the past two years and now we are able to practice that part of the game that enables you to score from 100 yards in. We will spend a great deal of time in that area."

The lone FISH in the pond
Tiffany Fisher, the lone senior on the Indiana Women's Golf team is ready to take on the season with determination and leadership.
The Easton, Pennsylvania native competed in all 32 rounds last season registering a 78.3 average. She posted five top-25 finishes and tied for fifth at the Big Ten Championship by shooting a career-low four rounds of 305 (74-76-78-77).
"Tiff had some excellent tournaments for us last season," said head coach Carmichael," but we need for her to get her scoring average down. There is no reason she can't do this because she has the ability, knowledge and golf swing to get the job done."
Carmichael went on to add about Fisher, "Tiff exhibited great leadership for us. She's a self-motivational, energetic, and just an all-around great individual. She loves to play golf and she loves to be with the team. Those characteristics are tough to find."

Did you know Indiana Women's Golf...
o Has won seven Big Ten Championships, tying a conference record.
o Has had eight individual Big Ten Champions, three more than any other school.
o Head Coach Sam Carmichael has won Big Ten Coach-of-the-Year honors a record seven times.
o Has had a record 83 athletes earn Academic All-Big Ten honors.
o Has placed in the top three at Big Ten's 18 times in the conference's 20-year history.
o Has placed in the top 20 at the NCAA Championship eight times.