Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Women's Golf Season in Review
5/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
May 19, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana women's golf program had an exciting season and showed glimpses of what is to come. The Hoosiers will lose three seniors (Shannon Johnson, Katie Carlson and Molly Redfearn) next season, but the trio helped lay the groundwork for what possibly could be an exciting future for IU women's golf.
Johnson became one of the highlights this past season, turning in arguably one of the greatest seasons in the program's history. Johnson won two individual medalist awards (Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 10-11 and the UNLV Spring Invitational on March 13-15) and finished the season with a 74.38 per-round average, which ranks third-best in school history. She also became the first Hoosier in school history to win two Big Ten Women's Golfer of the Week Awards during the same season, claiming the honor during the weeks of March 16 and April 19, while also claiming Golfweek's National Women's Golfer of the Week on March 21. While winning the UNLV title, her three-round 211 topped the former three-round school record of 212, set by former All-American Karen Dennison in 2002. She also became the first IU golfer in school lore to record two separate rounds of 68 in the same tournament (UNLV Spring Intercollegiate). Additionally, the first-team All-Big Ten honoree became the second Hoosier in school history to record rounds of 69-or-below twice in her career (Dennison).
Furthermore, Carlson recorded the school's first-ever hole-in-one during tournament play, aceing the par-three seventh hole at the Legends of Indiana course during the Shootout at the Legends on Oct. 11. It marked the first career hole-in-one for Carlson.
Additionally, the Hoosiers closed out the 2005-06 campaign with a record-setting performance at the Big Ten Championships. This year's championships proved to be one of the best events in school history, as the Hoosiers' 72-hole 1,214 (300-292-301-321) ranked as the fifth-best four-round mark in IU lore. Indiana also made its way in the record books with the sixth-best 18-hole (292), seventh-best 36-hole (592) and fifth-lowest 54-hole marks (893) in program history.
After his second season with the Indiana women's golf program, head coach Clint Wallman couldn't be more excited when looking ahead at the things to come. Wallman took time to discuss this past season, as well as the program's future with IUHOOSIERS.com.
Overall thoughts on the 2006-07 campaign:
"I am really pleased with the performance of the team this year. Both semesters started out a little rugged, but midway we got better and definitely got better by the end of the semesters. That's kind of a hard thing with such a diverse group of players. We had five returnees and five newcomers, so it took a while for them to mesh. I think we had some real good highlights throughout the year, especially our performance at the Big Tens. So the girls figured out how to get it done and that was great. I was extremely pleased with the team's play throughout the entire season."
Discuss how the team bonded this year and how that helped throughout the season:
"Last year was unique because I came in late without a lot of notice to the girls and didn't have a chance to do much recruiting, so the 2004-05 team played with an attitude of nobody is expecting us to do much. This year's team had the same type of attitude, but we had an influx of some good players with Shannon Johnson, Jenny Kim, Tara Boone and Amber Lindgren. They each stepped up and made a contribution. This year's team had a great balance of the underdog mentality, but also the attitude of knowing they could get it done. They took it upon themselves to continue the culture that had been set the first year, which is working hard, believing in yourself and maintaining a positive outlook, and translated that to the golf course. They played with the attitude of knowing they could get it done and we're as good as everyone else; we just have to learn how to do it."
How important was Shannon Johnson to this team and how much will she be missed:
"Shannon was a big-time leader because of a couple of things. She elevated everyone's game around her. Shannon competed at a very high level and showed them how to finish. It doesn't have to always be pretty, it just has to be effective. In terms of the leadership, she taught them so much about certain shots on the golf course and how to be a player. There is an attitude she had out there on the course. She never flaunted it, but you could tell it was there and she was able to bring some of our girls up another level."
 Shannon Johnson's 74.38 per round average ranked as the third-lowest single-season mark in school history.  |
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Discuss this year's senior class and how they have influenced the future of the program:
"The entire senior class has had critical leadership roles throughout the season. Shannon was the on-course leader and a great person to look up to. Katie Carlson was our emotional leader. She really pushed us and would not allow us to fall behind. Molly Redfearn just worked so hard, that she set an example of what a college golfer has to do to be successful. So the legacy those three left in those certain areas has been passed down to the underclassmen. They got on-the-job training about what it takes to be competitive and successful. With the senior class leaving, we do get a lot younger, but the impact they will leave will be felt for many years to come."
Talk about the season Elaine Harris had and what she meant to this year's team:
"She had a phenomenal year. Elaine kind of came out a lot because of what Shannon did. Elaine had something to shoot for and having someone of Shannon's caliber on her team really benefited her. I really think Elaine understands she can become that type of player. She improved so much of her game and she plays now with so much more confidence. We witnessed that at the Big Ten Championships and thanks to that confidence, she wound up with a sixth-place finish and had a legitimate chance to win it with three holes left in the tournament."
 Wallman sees a bright future for rising junior Elaine Harris. |
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What was your favorite highlight throughout the season:
"For me, the highlight was knowing and watching the girls compete successfully. Obviously the Big Tens and within the Big Tens, our second-round performance was outstanding. For us to beat the entire field during the second round of a 36-hole day tells me a lot. It tells me the girls are mentally tough, they are in shape and that they know how to compete. That was a big thing for them. To watch us climb the leaderboard as we did and climbing all the way to second place at one point was a tremendous highlight. That gave everyone a huge boost of confidence because it validated what they believed. We did it for four rounds in our biggest tournament of the year. Individually, we had several highlights. It starts with Shannon winning two tournaments and narrowly missing a third. She also was first team All-Big Ten, National Golfer of the Week and it goes on and on. Elaine had a great finish, coming in sixth place overall at the Championships. She had some great highlights and can certainly build from that. Amber Lindgren had her first career top-10 finish, which gave her a lot of confidence. As a freshman it can be hard to come in and play consistently well, but that was something she will benefit from in the long run. Tara Boone really played well in the spring and she became a solid contributor to our team. Jenny was another one who was very consistent and added depth during the spring season."
How do you feel where the program is headed after your first two years at Indiana:
"I am really excited. The first couple of years is hard when you are rebuilding a program. There's been some great things and there's been some not so great things. I feel extremely positive about where we are and the direction this program is headed. I think we are ahead of schedule and a lot of that is because the girls have bought into the program. We lose our three seniors, but we have three very good freshmen, and to be honest, we are going to be stronger and deeper than where we were this past year. In a couple of years we are going to be even better, because we will have maturity and even more confidence. There are a lot of positives that are going on right now and for the years to come."
What was your favorite trip this year:
"I would have to say our trip to UNLV. That was our first tournament in the spring where we played the way we are capable of playing and it really got us going down the stretch. It was also great because Shannon won, most of the parents were able to attend and we were paired with some really good teams. It validated what we all believed we were capable of doing. It had great drama with Shannon needing and getting birdies over the last two holes and it was an outstanding environment overall. That was probably my favorite trip excluding the Big Tens and Lady Northern. The Puerto Rico trip was another great location and exciting trip for us. We definitely have some great stories and memories from that trip. All the trips to me were fun and it is hard to pick just one, but in terms of overall the UNLV trip, to me, was the best."
