Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Set For Lady Northern Invitational
9/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Sept. 15, 2006
Lady Northern Invitational Notes
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After a very successful opening weekend, the Indiana University women's golf team will travel to East Lansing, Mich., this weekend for the Lady Northern Invitational. The tournament, hosted by Michigan State University, will take place at Forest Akers West Golf Course on Sept. 16-17.
The event consists of three rounds, with 36 holes played on Saturday and the final 18 holes taking place on Sunday. Along with Indiana and Michigan State, 10 other teams will comprise the field. Big Ten rivals Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin join the Hoosiers and the Spartans in the field, which will be rounded out by Kent State and Toledo.
Tournament play begins Saturday with a shotgun start in the morning and the second round following immediately after. On Sunday, the final round will commence at 9 a.m. as a shotgun start.
SEEING SUCCESS IN FAIR VERONA
With a lineup featuring three freshmen, one sophomore and a junior, the Indiana University women's golf team captured the team title at the Badger Invitational in Verona, Wis. The Hoosiers carded a total of 922 (313-307-302) while battling through inclement conditions over the 54-hole tournament.
Individually, junior Elaine Harris 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. Joining Harris in the top-10 were two of the IU newcomers. Freshman Kellye 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 classmate Laura 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 freshman Anita Gahir tied for 12th one stroke behind Nochta at 234 (82-78-74) for the 54-hole tournament. Rounding out the Hoosier lineup was sophomore Amber Lindgren. The Kokomo, Ind., native finished in a tie for 61st position with a tournament total of 258 (89-88-81).
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Complete tournament results will be made available on the web at IUHOOSIERS.com following each day of the event. There will also be live scoring of the tournament through www.golfstat.com. For more information, contact Jen Hildebrand at (812) 856-0553 or via email at jenhilde@indiana.edu.
REVISITING THE 2005 LADY NORTHERN
This will be the 23rd year that the Hoosiers have competed in the Lady Northern Invitational. Indiana has captured the team title nine times (1984-86, 1989, 1992-96), and Hoosiers have also earned medalist honors on six different occasions. The most recent IU golfer to win the event was Erin Carney in 1998.
Last season, IU hosted the tournament at the Indiana University Golf Course. The Hoosiers placed fifth with a total of 909 (307-297-305) in the event, and Elaine Harris led the Cream and Crimson with a share of 12th place after carding a total of 223 (75-75-73).
WINNING WAYS
With IU's win at the Badger Invitational, it marked the 11th time in program history that the Hoosiers opened the season with a tournament championship. The last time that it occured was in 2002 at the Wolverine Invitational.
COMING ON STRONG
Elaine Harris came on strong in her second season as a Hoosier, lowering her stroke average by three and a half strokes to 77.09, good for the second-best season average on the team. She turned in a top-10 finish twice on the season, with her second of the season being a sixth-place finish at the Big Ten's for the sophomore. Harris turned in rounds of 71, 70, 76 and 78 for a total of 295 and a share of sixth place.
QUALITY FINISHES
The Hoosiers had their highest tournament finish since a second-place showing at the 2004 Big Ten Championships when they finished fifth at both the Lady Northern Invitational on Sept. 24-25 and at the Lady Illini Invitational on April 14-15. At the Lady Northern, IU was fifth out of 12 teams with a score of 909 over three rounds. In the spring, Indiana's fifth-place finish at the Lady Illini Invitational was out of 16 teams and came following a score of 620 Harris was the low Hoosier at the Lady Northern with a three-round total of 223 and Johnson earned team medalist honors at the Lady Illini with a 36-hole mark of 147.
END OF THE SEASON AWARDS
The Indiana women's golf team officially put an end to the 2005-06 campaign with the end-of-the-year awards banquet on May 8.
As part of the ceremony, the coaching staff handed out the end of the season awards. Johnson garnered the Hoosier of the Year honor, given to the team's most valuable golfer. She led Indiana with a 74.38 per-round stroke average, a number which ranks third in the school annals, and captured two tournament victories and six top-10 finishes on the campaign. Johnson also won the Cream and Crimson Cup, awarded to the IU golfer who won a season-long tournament within the team.
Additionally, Harris received the Most Improved Hoosier award for the 2005-06 season. Harris improved her stroke average from 81.60 in 2004-05 to 77.09 in 2005-06, a number that ranked second on the squad. Harris capped her sophomore campaign with a career-best tournament at the Big Ten Championships, tying for sixth overall with a 72-hole score of 295. During the conference tournament, Harris shot career-low 18-hole (70), 36-hole (141), 54-hole (217) and 72-hole marks throughout the four-round event held at the Indiana University Golf Course.
Sophomore Gennifer Marrs received the Hoosier Heart Award, given to the Hoosier who shows the best team spirit, support and courage throughout the season. The senior class all received the Coaches Award, which is given annually to Hoosiers who best exemplify leadership, work ethic, passion and commitment.
FIRST TIMERS
Not only did the Hoosiers' trip to Puerto Rico in February mark the first tournament of the 2006 spring campaign for IU, but it was also the first time an Indiana women's golf team has travelled outside of the continental United States for competition. During the 2004-05 season, IU competed at the Kent Youel Invitational which took place in Hawai'i on Oct. 26-27, 2004 in Honolulu, but it had never travelled outside the U.S. to compete in a women's golf tournament.
