Indiana University Athletics
Big Ten Championship Notes (4/20/05)
4/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
The Hoosiers will have an uphill battle to earn their first Big Ten title since 1998. IU will compete against five schools ranked in the top 50, led by Ohio State's No. 10 ranking. Championship-host Michigan is 26th, while Purdue (32nd), Northwestern (42nd) and Michigan State (46th) are also ranked among the best 50 schools in the nation.
The Hoosiers will enter one team of six golfers, with the top four individual scores counting toward the total score. Making up the Indiana squad are senior Bethany Brunner, juniors Molly Redfearn and Katie Carlson and freshmen Elaine Harris, Stephanie Mayotte and Gennifer Marrs.
Last Year at the Big Ten Championship
Indiana senior Danah Ford dominated the individual competition, winning her first-ever Big Ten title with a 72-hole Championship record of 1-under-par 287 (74-72-70-71) on the Ohio State Golf Course. Her winning total eclipsed the previous Big Ten Championship best of 288, which was set by Michigan State's Emily Bastel in 2000.
As a team, the Hoosiers (308-297-299-312) struggled on the final day with a 312, to fall in the team standings to second overall with 1,216, but improved on their eighth-place finish from 2003.
Ford also landed first team All-Big Ten honors, along with teammate and 2003 Big Ten co-champion Karen Dennison. This marked the first time Indiana had back-to-back medalist honors at the conference championships since Erin Carney in 1998 and 1999.
Big Ten Championship History
When Indiana competes at the 2005 Big Ten Championship on April 22-24, it will attempt to have the same amount of success it has had over the 29-year history of the program. As a team, the Hoosiers have won the Big Ten title on seven different occasions, the last coming during the 1997-98 campaign. IU has also finished among the top three teams 20 different times.
Individually, IU has had seven different golfers win the Big Ten medalist honors, led by Erika Wicoff's three individual titles in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Last season, Danah Ford led the charge by winning the individual crown with a Big Ten Championship record of one-under par 287 (74-72-70-71). In fact, the Hoosiers boast of the last two individual medalists, as Karen Dennison claimed the crown in 2003 with a 294 (70-75-72-77).
Just Two Left
The sign of a youth movement among the Indiana women's golf team is apparent when looking at the lineup for the Big Ten Championship. The Hoosiers have three freshmen as a part of the six-person team heading to the U-M Golf Course in Ann Arbor, Mich. In fact, only two golfers from last year's Big Ten lineup are back for IU. Molly Redfearn placed in a tie for 21st with a 314 (76-78-71-79), which included a career-low 18-hole mark of 71 set in the third round of championship play at the Ohio State Golf Course. Bethany Brunner also competed at last year's four-round championship, recording a 339 (90-82-80-87) to finish in a tie for 62nd overall.
Harris Setting The Tone
Freshman Elaine Harris continues to play excellent golf during the spring season. At the Indiana Invitational on April 2-3, Harris shot a 158 (81-77) to finish in a tie for 16th overall. It marked the best finish in her career, topping her previous best, which was a 40th-place result in IU's last tournament, the UNLV Invitational. The effort was also the third time in five spring events the San Francisco, Calif., native has led her team.
Harris has led the Hoosiers in strokes per round during the spring with an 81.07. After shooting just two rounds of 80 or less during the fall, Harris has collected a score of 80 or under in five of her last eight rounds and seven of 14 total rounds played in the spring campaign.
Good Golly Miss Molly
She's done it again. Junior Molly Redfearn continues to lead the IU women's golf team on the season. After carding a 242 (77-83-80) at the Lady Buckeye Invite on April 16-17, Redfearn has now led the Hoosiers in four of the eight tournaments played during the 2004-05 campaign. Redfearn also led Indiana in the Verizon "Mo"Morial (Feb. 28-March 1), Kent Youel Invitational (Oct. 26-27) and the Mary Fossum Invitational (Sept. 18-19).
Despite not leading her team at the UNLV Spring Invitational on March 14-16, Redfearn still played well, carding a season-low round of 74 during the final 18 holes of the tournament.
Marrs/Mayotte Make Hoosier Debuts
True freshman Stephanie Mayotte, earned a right to compete in her first collegiate golf tournament, the Central District Classic. Mayotte, a native of Champaign, Ill., finished tournament play with a 262 (83-88-91) to place in 75th. She has competed in each of the five spring tournaments, and averages an 87.64 per 18 holes.
Additionally, redshirt freshman Gennifer Marrs also saw the first action of her collegiate career when she competed at the UNLV Spring Invitational. Competing as an individual, Marrs played eight rounds on the season and averaged a 93.13 per round.
Last Time Out
The Indiana women's golf team finished 13th overall with a score of 970 after collecting a 321 during the final round at the Lady Buckeye Invitational. The Hoosiers carded a score of 319, followed by a 330 in first two rounds.
Junior Molly Redfearn led the Hoosiers during the two-day event. Redfearn carded an 80 over the last 18 holes, after rounds of 77 and 83 on Saturday to finish in a tie for 42nd overall with a 240. It marked the fourth tournament this year she has led IU.
Senior Bethany Brunner also played well throughout the weekend, following a pair of 81s on Saturday, with a team-low 79 during the final 18. She finished tied for 46th with a 241. Freshman Elaine Harris also finished among the top 50 individuals, with a three-round total of 242 (78-80-84). The last scoring Hoosier was junior Katie Carlson, who tied for 70th with a 250 (83-86-81).
Freshman Stephanie Mayotte also performed well during the finale with an 81, just one stroke shy of matching her career-low round. She finished 86th overall with a 257 (89-87-81), while freshman Gennifer Marrs finished in 93rd with a 281 (94-94-93).
Coach Clint Wallman's Thoughts
On the team's mentality heading into the Big Ten Championship:
"I think our overall mood is really positive. We have worked hard throughout the year for this, so that we can put ourselves in position to have a good, solid tournament. We played two solid rounds last week on course which is similar to what we will play this weekend. Having seen the course once at the beginning of the season will be a good advantage for us."
What's it mean heading into next season to have almost everyone back and playing three freshmen throughout most of the season:
"It is a huge building block for us. We are going be more experienced with the players coming back and we have three freshmen coming in next year, so we will still be young. The experience they have gotten throughout this whole year and at the upcoming conference championship will be really valuable for us and the program's future."
What are your goals and expectations heading into the Big Ten Championship:
"We want to have a good showing at the Big Ten Championship. It will be Bethany's last tournament, so she will be playing hard and I expect her to perform well. I also think Katie Carlson could be termed a `sleeper'. She is from Livonia, Mich., and has played the University of Michigan golf course many times. She is comfortable with her game and the improvements she has made."
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. Lastly, her second-place tie crushed her highest placement of a 23rd-place tie at the 2002 Wolverine Invitational.
Wallman Replaces Carmichael At Helm
First-year head coach Clint Wallman replaced 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.
IU Inks New Mexico Standout Shannon Johnson
Shannon Johnson, an experienced and decorated golfer who played for three seasons at the University of New Mexico, will transfer to play golf at Indiana. Johnson, who will play her senior season for the Hoosiers, is eligible to compete in the fall of 2005.
Johnson started in all 11 tournaments last season, receiving Mountain West All-Conference honors for a second consecutive year. She finished the campaign ranked No. 85 in the nation by Golf Week and No. 90 by Golfstat.
The Sioux Falls, S.D., native had a career-best finish at the 2004 Mountain West Championship, placing second overall with a personal-best three-under par 213. She also made her debut at the NCAA Championship, carding a 20-over par 308 to tie for 93rd. She finished the year with an average of 75.38 per round and five top-20 finishes.
In 2003, Johnson earned her first MWC All-Conference honors. She averaged 77.9 per 18 holes, which ranked ninth in the MWC. Johnson opened the season by tying for eighth overall with a 223 at the Dick McGuire Invite. She also shot a season-low 71 in the second round of the UNLV Collegiate Showdown.
In addition to the all-conference accolades she received while at UNM, Johnson was also a member of the MWC All-Academic Team and named as a National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Academic All-American in 2003. She has six top-10 finishes in her career, and has finished in the top 20 on 11 different occasions.
Prior to coming to New Mexico, Johnson earned all-state honors in each of her four years at O'Gorman High School. Additionally, she was tabbed the 2000 and 2001 South Dakota Junior Golfer of the Year.
