Huskers Open Spring Season This Weekend

Lincoln -- The Nebraska women's golf team will embark on its spring campaign starting this weekend with a dual against 22nd-ranked Kent State on Saturday and the Central District Invitational Monday, Feb. 25 and Tuesday, Feb. 26.

NU will take to the links of Waterlefe Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla., against Kent State, a team qualifier for the NCAA Championships last season. The Central District Invitational will be played at River Wilderness Country Club in Parrish, Fla.

An addition to the schedule, the dual with the Golden Flashes will give the Huskers an opportunity to gain valuable experience outdoors, after spending much of the winter break hitting into the indoor nets at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

"Our last round out before the snow hit, we looked very good," Head Coach Robin Krapfl said. "I scheduled a dual prior to the actual invitational to give us a few extra days of practice outside to ensure we are as prepared as we can be."

Krapfl's starting lineup this weekend will feature seniors Amanda Sutcliffe and Catha Fogelberg, sophomore Stephanie Schaefer and freshmen Merynn Ito and Stephanie Ruiz. Freshman Beth Anne Cherry will play as an individual in the dual meet.

With the absence of two-time NCAA qualifier Sarah Sasse, who is redshirting to improve her swing, in the starting lineup, Sutcliffe has emerged as NU's top scorer. A native of Gunnedah, New South Wales, Australia, Sutcliffe led the team with a 77.38 scoring average through the fall campaign, racking up three top-10 finishes.

Her top performance came at the Heather Farr/CU Invitational as she notched a career-high second-place finish with a school-record 36-hole score of 3-under-par 141.

Krapfl also received solid play during the fall from the young-duo of Ito and Ruiz, who were both starters in the NU lineup in each of the five fall tournaments. Ito racked up a scoring average of 79.92, while Ruiz put together a mark of 80.77, including a third-place performance at the CU Invitational.

Sutcliffe, Ito, Ruiz and the rest of the Husker lineup will all need to put up their top performances this weekend as a strong field awaits at the Central District Invitational, including six top-25 squads.

"The Central District Invitational presents a huge challenge and opportunity for us," Krapfl said. "Every team in the field is currently ranked ahead of us, which is the challenge. The opportunity is that every team we defeat strengthens our position in the region."

Sixth-ranked Ohio State headlines the 15-team field which also features No. 13 Michigan State, No. 14 Michigan, No. 16 Northwestern, No. 22 Kent State, No. 24 Purdue, No. 29 Oklahoma, No. 30 Texas Christian, No. 32 Baylor, No. 34 Indiana, No. 42 Minnesota, No. 43 Texas Tech, No. 57 Missouri, No. 58 Texas A&M and the 63rd-ranked Huskers.

"The tournament is extremely important in our quest to return to postseason play," Krapfl said. "I know it is tough to put a lot of pressure on a tournament being played in February, but we don't have any other option. The team knows where we stand and I think they are mentally ready to face the challenge."