Huskers Open Spring Season at Central District Invitational

Huskers Open Spring Season at Central District Invitational

The Nebraska women's golf team opens its 2004 spring season by traveling to Parrish, Fla., for the 15-team Central District Invitational hosted by Michigan State at the River Wilderness Country Club (par 72/6,009 yards) Feb 23-24.

A talented field, including some of the best teams from the Big 12 and Big Ten conferences highlight the 54-hole tournament. Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech join Nebraska as six Big 12 Conference squads fill the field. Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern and Wisconsin also give the Big Ten six squads in the tournament, while Arkansas and Louisiana State from the Southeastern Conference and TCU round out the field.

The tournament begins with a shotgun start at 7 a.m. central time for 36 holes on Monday, Feb. 23, before concluding with another 7 a.m. start for 18 holes on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

The Huskers finished fifth at the Central District Invitational last season with rounds of 321, 305 and 301 to finish with a 927. It is NU's third consecutive trip to the Central District Invitational, including a 12th-place finish in 2002.

Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said the Huskers are eager to take the course in competition for the first time this spring. The Huskers have not competed since clsing the fall season at the adidas Fall Classic in Palm Harbor, Fla., Oct. 19-21.

"We are really excited. Everyone is swinging well and looking sharp," Krapfl said. "We're fired up to see what we look like out on the golf course competing against some other teams."

Huskers Hope Strong Fall Helps Build Even Better Spring

The Nebraska women's golf team closed a strong fall season with five top-five tournament finishes and a pair of tournament titles. Now the Huskers are poised for an even stronger spring season with hopes of a ninth straight trip NCAA regionals and a second straight trip to the NCAA Championships.

Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said the Huskers just scratched the surface of their potential during their successful fall campaign.

"I'm excited about what the spring season could hold for this team," Krapfl said. "If they keep working and keep improving, they are going to realize their goal of becoming a great team."

The Huskers closed their six-tournament fall schedule with a team stroke average of 305.35 (5,191 strokes/17 rounds). NU's fall average was nearly five strokes better than their 2002-03 average (310.18), a season in which they finished 22nd at the NCAA Championships.

Krapfl said the players deserved praise for their success in shaving strokes off of their individual games.

"The credit has to go to the players and their work ethic and determination to get better," Krapfl said. "It's not a mystery why they are getting better. They understand the time and effort you have to put in to improve, and they have proven that they are willing to make the commitment."

Nebraska's fall success included back-to-back tournament crowns at the Chip-N Club Invitational (Sept. 15-16) and the Ron Moore Highlands Ranch Intercollegiate (Sept. 29-30). At the Chip-N Club, the Huskers produced a season-low three-round score of 904 that included a season-low round of 297 in the second round.

The Huskers finished in the top 10 in all six of their tournaments, with a runner-up finish at the 12-team Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational (Oct. 13-14), a third-place finish at the nine-team Embassy Suites/Tyson Invitational (Sept. 7-9), a tie for sixth at the 14-team adidas Fall Classic (Oct. 19-21), and a ninth-place showing at the 18-team Shootout at the Legends (Oct. 6-7).

Nebraska will take the next four months off from competition while the Huskers prepare for their first tournament of the spring at the Central District Invitational in Parrish, Fla., Feb. 23-24.

Nebraska Fall Season Individual Highlights

Nebraska received strong performances up and down its lineup throughout the fall season.

Senior captain Stephanie Schaefer (Columbus, Neb.), enjoyed the best fall of her career by finishing in the top 20 in five of NU's six fall tournaments. She posted a pair of top-10 finishes and ranked second on the team with a 76.53 stroke average through 17 rounds. Her top individual effort came with a third-place finish at the Chip-N Club Invitational, while her low three-round total came at the Shootout at the Legends (Oct. 6-7) with a 223. Schaefer also fired the Huskers' lowest round of the fall with her 69 in the second round at the Chip-N Club.

Junior Merynn Ito (Aiea, Hawaii) added four top-20 finishes, including a trio of top-five finishes for the Huskers during the fall. Ito took runner-up honors at the Chip-N Club Invitational and finished third at the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational. She added a tie for fourth at the Ron Moore Highlands Ranch Intercollegiate. Ito led the Huskers with a 76.12 stroke average through 17 rounds. She finished in the top 20 in four of NU's six fall tournaments.

True freshman Christine McArdle (Eden Prairie, Minn.) finished the fall stronger than any other Husker, producing Nebraska's lowest three-round score with her 221 at the adidas Fall Classic. McArdle established career-low rounds, in each successive round of the tournament, including her even par 72 in the final round. McArdle finished in a tie for fifth at the adidas Fall Classic, which followed on the heels of her first career top-10 finish (tie for ninth) at the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational a week earlier. McArdle opened the season as one of NU's top players at the Embassy Suites/Tyson Invitational in Arkansas (Sept. 7-9). She finished in a tie for 13th (231) with Ito and Jackie Beste in Arkansas, but was knocked out of the lineup by a neck injury before the Chip-N Club Invitational (Sept. 15-16). Her 77.45 stroke average over 11 rounds ranked third on the squad during the fall season.

Junior Stephanie Ruiz (Edmond, Okla.) produced a breakout performance with a runner-up finish at the Ron Moore Highlands Ranch Intercollegiate (Sept. 29-30). Ruiz shot an even-par 72 in the second round for the second-lowest round of her career. Her final round vaulted her 12 spots in the standings and fueled the Huskers' final-round comeback to claim the team title. Ruiz strengthened her spot in NU's lineup by firing a season-low 230 over three rounds at the Shootout at the Legends (Oct. 6-7). She added a solid tournament at the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational by tying for 22nd with a 238, before finishing the fall tied for 33rd with a 234 at the adidas Fall Classic. Ruiz owned the fourth-best fall stroke average (77.65) with a pair of top-10 finishes.

Sophomore Jackie Beste (Sauk Centre, Minn.) ranked fifth among the Huskers with her 77.82 stroke average in the fall, nearly five strokes better than her 2002-03 season average. Beste finished in the top 20 at three of Nebraska's six fall tournaments, highlighted by her fifth-place effort at the Chip-N Club Invitational. She shot a season-low 74 in the first round of the Shootout at the Legends on her way to producing her season-best three-round score of 227.

Junior Sara Sackett (Cambridge, Neb.) earned four starts in NU's lineup and produced a pair of top-15 finishes. She tied for 10th at the Chip-N Club Invitational, and tied for 12th at the Ron Moore Highlands Ranch Intercollegiate. Her 78.88 stroke average ranked sixth on the team.

Huskers Showing Major Improvements in 2003-04

Nebraska returns seven letterwinners from last year's squad that finished 22nd at the NCAA Championships. NU lost just one letterwinner, 2003 Big 12 Golfer-of-the-Year Sarah Sasse, who ended a brilliant career in May by earning Nebraska's first-ever first-team All-America award in women's golf.

Despite Sasse's loss, the Huskers expect to be even better in 2003-04. Last season, Nebraska produced a team stroke average of 310.18 over 39 rounds. Through 17 rounds this fall, NU cut nearly five strokes off its average (305.35).

Sophomore Jackie Beste made the biggest jump, knocking nearly five strokes off her 2002-03 average (82.39). Beste ranks fifth on the team with a 77.82 stroke average this fall and owns three top-15 finishes. Senior captain Stephanie Schaefer (76.53) has shaved nearly four strokes off her 2002-03 season stroke average (80.28). She was the only Husker to place in the top 20 in five of NU's fall tournaments. Schaefer placed in the top 20 of just one tournament all of last season.

Junior Merynn Ito, who owns NU's top stroke average this season (76.12), has trimmed nearly two strokes off her 2002-03 final average (77.64). Ito finished among the top 20 individuals in seven tournaments last season and added four top 20 finishes this fall. Junior Stephanie Ruiz posted a 79.28 stroke average and a pair of top 25 finishes last season, and has sliced nearly two strokes off her average with a 77.65 average in 2003-04. Ruiz captured a pair of top-10 finishes this fall, and she was NU's No. 2 finisher (88th overall) at the 2003 NCAA Championships.