Indiana University Athletics
Central District Notes
2/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
A shotgun start will begin tournament play on Monday, Feb. 21, at 8 a.m., with each team playing 36 holes on the day. The final round is set for Tuesday, Feb. 22, with a shotgun start at 8 a.m.
The 15-team field will be one of the most competitive fields the Hoosiers have played against all season. The tournament will play host to six teams ranked in the top 25 and 11 ranked in the top 50 in the latest Golf Week rankings (as of Feb. 13). Leading the field will be eighth-ranked Ohio State, followed by No. 13 Missouri, No. 14 LSU, No. 20 Arkansas, No. 23 Michigan and No. 24 SMU. Also competing in the tournament with the Hoosiers will be No. 30 Notre Dame, No. 43 Baylor, No. 44 Northwestern, No. 45 Texas Tech, No. 47 Michigan State, Kansas State, Nebraska and Texas A&M.
Mayotte Making Hoosier Debut
True freshman Stephanie Mayotte earned a right to compete in her first collegiate golf tournament, The Central District Invitational. Mayotte, a native of Champaign, Ill, was a four-year letterwinner at Champaign Centennial High School. While there, she qualified for the state title three consecutive seasons and placed in the top-10 of the conference tournament in each year during her high school career.
Hoosiers Having Career Years
Last fall, several IU golfers came on strong and accomplished new career bests.
In the Shootout at the Legends on Oct. 4-5, junior Katie Carlson shot a career-best round of 78 in the final 18 holes. The Livonia, Mich., native also recorded her career-best 54-hole performance with a 239 (81-80-78), shattering her old mark of 266 set at the Indiana Invitational last spring. Senior Bethany Brunner also carded a career-low 73 on the final 18 holes in the Shootout's second round as well.
Junior Molly Redfearn blazed the course at the Mary Fossum Invitational (Sept. 18-19) to a career-best tournament performance with a 226 (75-75-76) en route to a second-place tie with Illinois State's Katie Laehn. The effort shattered each of her personal-best marks, eclipsing her previous career-low of 77 set at the 2002 Wolverine Invitational and the 2002 Legends Shootout. Her 36-hole tally of 150 also bettered her previous standard of 157 set at the 2002 Lady Northern Invitational and the 2002 Legends Shootout. Additionally, her total of 226 demolished her former best tournament outing at the 2002 Legends when she fired a 234. Last, her second-place tie crushed her highest placement of a 23rd-place tie at the 2002 Wolverine Invitational.
Coach Clint Wallman's Thoughts
On the spring season's first tournament:
"First of all, it is real nice to have the time to prepare for a season's opening tournament. Last fall, we didn't have much time together and it wasn't too soon after I arrived at Indiana until we competed in our first tournament. I am very excited to have the time with the girls to prepare for this tournament and I am looking forward to the rest of the spring season."
On the strength of the field:
"This is going to be an exceptionally strong field. There are six teams in the top 25 and all but four teams in the tournament are ranked in the top 50. Going against strong teams like that will be a good measuring stick on where we stand as a team."
On the team's mentality:
"The team is very excited. We have been practicing very hard in less than desirable conditions, so we have definitely put the work into being successful. There were huge amounts of improvement and everyone worked very hard in the offseason."
Redfearn Leads Way
Junior Molly Redfearn led the way for the Hoosiers during the fall season. Redfearn has been IU's leader in two of the four tournaments it played during the fall campaign. Redfearn leads the squad with a stroke average of 79.08, while also recording the team's top finish for an individual, placing in a tie for second at the Mary Fossum Invitational on Sept. 18-19, 2004.
Last Year At The Central District
The Indiana women's golf team opened its 2004 spring tournament schedule with a 14th-place finish at the Central District Classic. After struggling the first two rounds, Indiana shot the fifth-lowest round of the day, 310, to finish at 957 (329-318-310).
Senior Danah Ford finished with 229 (75-77-77). The Indianapolis, Ind., native was the Hoosiers' highest finisher, tying for 19th place.
Senior Karen Dennison closed with a three-day total of 231 (78-79-78). The Madison, Ind., native finished the tournament in a tie for 36th.
After struggling early, senior Ambry Bishop was able to have solid final round. Bishop ended with a round of 78 for a total of 244 (85-81-78) and tied for 55th-place.
Closing out the lineup, sophomore Lissa Putnam finished in a tie for 62nd with a 256 (91-81-84). Junior Bethany Brunner, disqualified in the first round, had a second round 84 and a final round 77.
Wallman Replaces Carmichael At Helm
First-year head coach Clint Wallman replaces the legendary Sam Carmichael, who retired last May after 23 years at the helm of the Hoosier program. During a 21-year span from 1984-2004, Indiana was the only team in the Big Ten to place among the top three 17 times, and Carmichael was named Big Ten Coach of the Year eight times.
Three Signed To NLI
Indiana women's golf head coach Clint Wallman announced the signing of three future prospects for the women's golf team. Tara Boone (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North HS), Tiffany Hockensmith (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South HS) and Amber Lindgren (Kokomo, Ind./Western HS) have all signed a National Letter of Intent to play golf at Indiana beginning in the 2005-06 campaign.
"I am extremely excited about the signing of this year's class," women's golf head coach Clint Wallman said. "The state of Indiana has a tremendous amount of golf talent and one of the key ingredients to our future success is to tap that talent. Being able to sign Indiana State Junior Champions Tiffany Hockensmith and Amber Lindgren as well as Tara Boone, who is a two-time All State player is a big plus for our program."
Boone will come to Indiana from Huntington North High School where she earned all-state honors in 2003 and 2004, as well as all-conference honors in each of her four seasons. During her senior season, Boone won three tournaments for the Vikings, including the Indiana Sectionals, marking the third consecutive year she claimed sectional medalist honors. Boone was named team MVP and played at the No. 1 spot all four years. Throughout high school, Boone claimed 13 event titles.
Hockensmith is a product of Bloomington South High School, where she was tabbed the 2003 Mountain Dew Player of the Year and was one of eight females selected to the Tri-State Challenge team in 2003 and 2004. The talented performer from Bloomington, Ind., competed well in many tournaments during her high school career, highlighted by capturing the 2003 Indiana Girls State Juniors championship, as well as winning the Plantations Junior Golf Tournament in 2004. Additionally, Hockensmith was a sectional medalist in 2003 and was named 2003 team MVP.
Lindgren will also remain in the state of Indiana, where she was a four-time letterwinner at Western High School. In 2004, Lindgren played her way to the individual championship of the Indiana Girls State Tournament, where she also finished runner-up in 2003, on her way to receiving the Indiana Golf Tour Player of the Year honors. In addition, the Huntington, Ind., product was named as a Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) second team All-American. She averaged a 73.9 as a junior and 74.4 as a senior, including a career-low round of 67 in the final qualifying round of the Girls State Juniors at the Players Club in Muncie, Ind. She was also a four-year All-Conference, All-Sectional, All-Regional and All-State performer, as well as a member of the National Honor Society.
Fall Season In Review
The Indiana women's golf team demonstrated a notable improvement during the 2004 fall campaign under new direction. Guiding the team in his first season was head coach Clint Wallman, who came to Indiana from the University of New Mexico. Wallman replaced the legendary Sam Carmichael, who retired last May after 23 years at the helm of the Hoosier program.
With the new adjustments, new leadership and brand new faces, Wallman expected some bumps in the road. However, the improvement and dedication he witnessed from each player and as a team proved the Hoosiers are on the right track and showed a sign of things to come in the future.
"I think we are going in the right direction," said Wallman. "Statistically, we improved in every tournament we played during the fall season. There have been a lot of positives we can draw from these four tournaments as we head into spring."
Wallman arrived in Bloomington after two seasons as an assistant coach at New Mexico. The Lobos enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history in 2003-04, capped by a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Tournament.
"Having the opportunity to coach at Indiana is a dream come true," Wallman said. "There is a tremendous history associated with Hoosier golf, and I am very excited to continue the tradition of excellence which Coach Carmichael began."
The squad opened the fall campaign at the Lady Northern Invitational on Sept. 11-12 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Despite a 14th-place finish with a score of 969 (324-327-318), there were some good things in store in the near future.
Those bright spots commenced at the next tournament, the Mary Fossum Invitational on Sept. 18-19 in East Lansing, Mich. The Hoosiers finished in 10th-place with a 960 (319-314-327), while junior Molly Redfearn provided a major highlight for the Hoosiers with a career round on the links.
Redfearn blazed the course with a 226 (75-75-76) en route to a second-place tie with Illinois State's Katie Laehn. The effort bested her highest placement of a 23rd-place tie at the 2002 Wolverine Invitational.
More improvement was seen in the team's third tournament of the fall, the Shootout at the Legends on Oct. 4-5, in Franklin, Ind. The Hoosiers finished in 10th place with a total tally of 961 (333-315-313) during the two-day event. During tournament play, junior Katie Carlson stole the spotlight with career-best round of 78. The Livonia, Mich., native also recorded her career-best 54-hole performance with a 239 (81-80-78), shattering her old mark of 266 set at the Indiana Invitational last spring.
Junior Bethany Brunner led IU in the Shootout with a tie for 24th overall with a 235 on the par 72, 6,134-yard Legends Golf Course. Brunner shot a career-best 73 in the second round, while also recording an 81 on her first and third rounds. Putnam finished in a tie for 45th overall a 244 (87-81-76).
Indiana finished the fall competition in style, traveling to Honolulu, Hawaii, to compete at the Kent Youel Invitational on Oct. 26-27. The Hoosiers carded a team score of 944 (311-317-316) to finish in 13th position in one of the toughest fields IU competed against during the fall season. The Hoosiers final round of 316 enabled the team to record their lowest team score of the fall season. IU's previous season best was a 960, posted at the Mary Fossum Invitational on Sept. 18-19.
The Hoosiers were led by Redfearn who recorded a 231 (79-76-76) and tied for 40th overall. Brunner followed Redfearn with a 237 (73-84-80) and tied for 51st. Putnam (78-81-80) and Carlson (81-78-80) both fired a 239 and tied for 54th. Carlson's three-round tally matched her career best which was set in the previous tournament, the Shootout at the Legends. Freshman Kendal Hake rounded out the Cream and Crimson by finishing in 75th with a 253 (83-82-88).
