Indiana University Athletics
Women's Golf Fall In Review
12/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Dec. 1, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - During the fall season, the Indiana women's golf team made great strides toward fulfilling the promise that it had shown during the previous year. With a very young lineup, the Hoosiers played well throughout the fall and had several highlights, including a tournament victory.
In his third season at the helm of the program, head coach Clint Wallman saw a team that broke the 300 stroke mark for the just the third time since the second round of the 2004 Big Ten Championship with a 299 in the final round of the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate on Oct. 31. The team stayed near the 300 mark for most of the fall season, wrapping up competition with an average of 306.20 strokes per round in the five tournaments that it competed in.
"I divide the season into two categories," Wallman said. "First of all, I think our start was really good. We came out of the blocks really strong. Not knowing what we were going to get with three freshmen and a sophomore teeing it up at the first event, I think we did fantastic. I'm really pleased with the transition the freshmen made from teeing it off in high school golf to college golf. We didn't finish as well as I would have hoped, but I think we learned a lot about what we need to do better as a team, so when we come out in the spring we are ready to roll."
En route to the success that they had as a team, four players in the Hoosier lineup all averaged below 80 per round for the second consecutive fall. In addition, three of those four players, freshmen Kellye Belcher (75.80), Laura Nochta (76.33) and Anita Gahir (77.40) are all on pace to shatter the best freshman stroke average in program history. The play of the talented newcomers anchored the Indiana lineup and shows that the program can only improve with time.
"I could not be more proud of the freshmen," Wallman said. "Each of them had fantastic tournaments. Kellye had great tournaments and showed that she is a force to be reckoned with. Laura had a fantastic fall. From a consistency standpoint, I would have to say that Laura would have been our most consistent player and consistent finisher. Anita came on strong at the end, and she is poised and ready to go for a good spring. I could not be more happy than I am with the freshmen."
Along with their strong averages, the trio recorded four top-10 finishes and seven top-15 placements during the fall. Belcher and Nochta led the team with two top-10s and four top-25s apiece, while Belcher also turned in the low round of the fall with a 71 in the second round of the Lady Northern Invitational.
The fourth member of the IU lineup to finish the fall with an average under 80 was junior Elaine Harris, who played in all five of the Hoosiers' tournaments and averaged 76.73 strokes per round. The San Francisco, Calif., native had one top-10 and two top-15 results and also led the team in par three scoring with an average of 3.20 per hole.
Narrowly missing out on the under 80 average was sophomore Tara Boone, who played in two of five tournaments and carded an average of 80.67. Junior Kendal Hake, who averaged 83.50 per 18 holes in the two tournaments she participated in, followed her. Sophomore Amber Lindgren rounded out the Hoosiers that competed during the fall season with an average mark of 85.17 in two tournaments.
While the team saw great success during the fall season, Wallman, like any coach, is excited about how that can translate into improvement in the spring portion of the schedule.
"Typically, what we need to do is become a better short game team," he said. "Our up and down finish needs to improve, our bunker play needs to improve, and those are things that we can work on technique wise. I think from a mental standpoint, one of the good things that came out of the fall was that we realized that we are a very good team. We just have to elevate ourselves so that we can compete at that level and not be in awe of any other teams, because we are just as good as anybody else."
The fall could not have gotten off to a better start than capturing the season-opening Badger Invitational. The Hoosiers improved every day to capture the team title with a score of 922 (313-307-302) while battling through inclement weather conditions over the tournament. It was the first season opening win for the Hoosiers since the 2002 Wolverine Invitational and was also the first team title that IU had won under Wallman.
"Obviously, I'm very excited for the girls and the way they played," Wallman said after the tournament. "It was a quality field, and to go out and win the very first tournament that they competed in on the season, it was a big accomplishment for them and for the program. I could not be prouder of this group. For us to sleep on the lead and then go out and put away the tournament shows a lot of heart and a lot of talent."
Individually, Harris carried the success that she saw in her sophomore season into this year as she turned in the best finish of her career with a third place finish. Her 10-over par total of 226 (74-77-75) was just one stroke out of a share of medalist honors, which was shared by Katie Elliott of Wisconsin (74-77-74) and Adrienne White of Louisville (71-76-78) at 225.
Joining Harris in the top-10 were two of the IU newcomers. Belcher tied for sixth in her first collegiate tournament, turning in rounds of 77-76-76 for a total of 229. She was followed by Nochta, who shared 10th place with a total of 233 (80-76-77). Narrowly missing out on a top-10 finish was another newcomer, as Gahir tied for 12th one stroke behind Nochta at 234 (82-78-74). Gahir's 74 tied the Hoosiers' low round of the tournament, with Harris also carding the score in the first round on Sunday.
Host Wisconsin finished in second place at the tournament with a total of 932 (311-316-305). Two strokes back, Nebraska (321-318-295) and Oklahoma (306-316-312) shared third position with a 54-hole score of 934.
After that dramatic start to the season, the Hoosiers headed to East Lansing, Mich., for the Lady Northern Invitational. Things continued to look good, as IU knocked two strokes off its score to finish the tournament in seventh place with a total of 920 (310-303-307). Belcher tied for second in her second collegiate event with a total of 919 (74-71-74), and she was followed by Harris, who tied for 28th with a 233 (78-80-75).
"Kellye played fantastically," Wallman said following the tournament. "Anytime you have a runner-up finish as a freshman, that is a big deal, especially in her second collegiate event. I am looking forward to more finishes like this for her."
Nochta was the next newcomer to lead the Hoosiers when she tied for seventh at the Wolverine Invitational. Nochta recorded a 226 (79-77-79) for her placement as IU finished in a tie for fourth with a total of 919 (308-304-307). Harris picked up her second top-15 of the season, sharing 15th place with a total of 228 (77-73-78). Belcher, who tied for 20th with a 54-hole total of 230 (80-76-74) and Gahir, who shared 30th position after carding a 235 (79-77-79), followed Harris. Sophomore Tara Boone rounded out the Indiana lineup, sharing 50th with a total of 245 (86-78-81).
Fresh off three tournaments in the upper Midwest, IU headed west to compete in the Price's "Give 'Em Five Fund" New Mexico State Invitational. The Hoosiers finished in eighth place at the tournament with a team total of 919 (307-304-305). It was Indiana's first-ever trip to the state for competition.
"I'm obviously disappointed with our finish," Wallman said following the conclusion of the tournament. "We did a lot of good things, but we just need to work a little harder to prepare for our next event."
Leading the way for Indiana was Nochta, who finished in a tie for 13th place with a total of 225 (76-75-74). Following her was fellow classmate Belcher, who tied for 23rd in the event after carding a 228 (75-78-75).
Both Harris and Gahir finished in a tie for 35th position with a tournament total of 232. Harris carded rounds of 78-78-76 for her total, while Gahir had rounds of 78-74-80 to reach that mark. Rounding out the Hoosier lineup was Boone, who tied for 64th after firing a 239 (80-77-82).
After a week layoff, the Hoosiers closed out the fall with an 11th place finish at the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate in Kiawah Island, S.C. The Hoosiers carded a 916 (307-310-299) for their placement and were paced by Gahir who finished in a tie for 15th place with a tournament total of 225 (76-76-73). She was followed by Nochta, who finished in a tie for 32nd position after carding a 228 (76-79-73).
Indiana will open the spring season with an alumni match against Notre Dame on Feb. 11, before traveling to the Lady Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan. It will be the second season that the Hoosiers will have competed in the event, which will be held from Feb. 23-24. IU will also make trips to Las Vegas, Nev. for the UNLV Spring Invitational (March 12-14), Tuscon, Ariz., for the Mountain View Collegiate (March 24-25) and Columbus, Ohio, for the Lady Buckeye (April 21-22) before closing out the spring at the Big Ten Championship in East Lansing, Mich. (April 27-29). The Hoosiers will also host the IU Invitational on April 9 and 10, which will be held at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind. It will be the first time that the tournament has not been contested at the IU Golf Course.
"I think our first tournament is going to be a really great one," Wallman said. "We go to Puerto Rico, and it is a very good field. It will be a really good opportunity for us to get started on off on the right foot.
"There are strong points and negative points to hosting the IU Invitational at Crooked Stick. The strong points are that we are going to have a very quality field. That will be excellent for us heading into the final month of the season going into Big Ten's. Ohio State has a great tournament as well, so we'll be prepping with really good teams. You hate to move it off campus, because of the great support that we have, but I am really confident that we will get great support up in Carmel. There is no better venue than Crooked Stick. It has hosted the U.S. Women's Open, the Solheim Cup and the PGA Championship, and when you have a world class golf course, it is just going to be a really neat event."
