Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Head to Nebraska
5/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
The Indiana University women's golf team will compete in its seventh tournament of the spring this weekend, as the Hoosiers travel to Lincoln, Neb. for the NCAA Central Regional.
The event will be held on May 8-10, and will feature 21 teams.
Competing at the NCAA Central Regional will be Pacific-10 Conference Champion California, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Mountain West Champion New Mexico, Western Athletic Champion Tulsa, Purdue, Oklahoma, Missouri, Baylor, TCU, Mid-American Champion Kent State, Michigan State, Arkansas, Texas A&M, INDIANA, Wisconsin, Kansas State, Nebraska, Ivy Champion Yale, and Southwestern Athletic Champion Southern University.
Indiana will begin play in the 54-hole tournament on Thursday, May 8, with a tee-time start beginning at 12:50 p.m. On Friday, May 9, play will begin at 8:30 a.m. The tournament will conclude on Saturday, with the final 18 holes at 8:30 a.m.
Firethorn Golf Course will be setup at a par of 71 and 6,033 yards.
Tournament Results
LIVE Stats will be available on IUHOOSIERS.com throughout the tournament. Complete tournament results will be made available on the web at IUHOOSIERS.com 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) 855-6209 or through e-mail at jepsmith@indiana.edu.
Tournament Format
The playing format for the NCAA Central Regional will be play five players and count the four lowest scores.
NCAA Central Regional Lineup
Competing for Indiana at the Central Regional will be: Karen Dennison, Danah Ford, Cara Stuckey, Ambry Bishop, and Molly Redfearn.
"Quoting the Coach"
IU Head Coach Sam Carmichael: "Obviously the NCAA Central Regional is going to be a very competitive field, and is held on a tough golf course. Firethorn is a typical Pete Dye design, where you have to drive the ball in position and land your approach shots pretty close to the pin. The greens are big, sloped, and quick.
Never Let a Year Go By
Indiana will make its 11th-straight NCAA Regional appearance, when the Hoosiers travel to the Central Regional May 8-10 at the Firethorn Golf Club in Lincoln, Neb, hosted by the University of Nebraska.
IU has competed in each regional since the NCAA began them in 1993.
Dennison co-Big Ten Champion
Indiana junior Karen Dennison entered the 2003 season without one individual collegiate title. She entered this past weekend's Big Ten Championships at Iowa with three. Now, the Madison, Ind., native has her fourth title, as she captured a share of medalist honors with Ohio State's Allison Hanna.
A native of Madison, Ind., Dennison carded a final-round 77 for a 2-over par 294 (70-75-72-77) to pace the Hoosiers and earn a share of the Big Ten Conference's top honor for 2003.
She is the first Hoosier to earn medalist honors at the conference championships since 1999 when Erin Carney took top honors.
Dennison finished a close runner-up in Big Ten Player of the Year voting this season.
Top-Ten Dennison
Karen Dennison continues to have an All-America season for the Hoosiers. The Madison, Ind., native has now recorded 10 top-10 finishes in as many events this season. Dennison has recorded a remarkable four wins, including a Big Ten Championships, two second-place finishes, a third, eighth, and ninth. Entering this season, Dennison's previous career best finish was a fourth-place tie.
IU Records Most Wins Since 1998
The Hoosiers have recorded three wins so far this year, which marks the most victories for Indiana since the 1997-98 team won seven team titles, including the Big Ten Championship.
An Improved 1-2 Punch
Karen Dennison and Danah Ford have shown impressive improvement since last year. As Indiana's top-two scorers, Dennison and Ford currently hold a 73.69 and 76.52 scoring average, respectively. Those averages mark a +3.05 (76.74) stroke improvement for Dennison and a +2.29 (78.81) for Ford.
Ford Driven at Lady Buckeye
For the past two years, junior Danah Ford has led the Hoosiers at the Lady Buckeye Invitational. The Indianapolis, Ind., native has also challenged par on the famed Ohio State Scarlet Course, firing a 1-under-par 71 three weeks ago, and a 1-over-par 73 at last year's event.
This year, Ford finished tied for seventh in the event, bettering 2002's ninth-place tie -- which at that time was her career high.
Any More Records to Break?
Karen Dennison has established many new school records this year with her dominant play on the golf course.
Dennison's current stroke average is 73.69, two-tenths of a stroke better than the current single season school record average of 73.92, recorded by Erika Wicoff in 1995.
