Nebraska Hosts Chip-N Club Invitational

The Nebraska women’s golf team plays host to its only regular-season tournament of the year at the Chip-N Club Invitational, Sept. 26-27, at Wilderness Ridge Country Club in Lincoln.

Nine teams will be participating, including Kansas State, Louisville, Creighton, Montana, Wichita State, Redlands Community College, South Dakota State and North Dakota State.

The tournament tees off with a shotgun start on Monday at 9 a.m. for the first 36 holes with the final 18 holes being played on Tuesday, with tee times starting at 8 a.m.

The Huskers won the tournament title in 2004 for the second consecutive time. NU won last year’s eight-team event with a three-round score of 937, while the Huskers’ "White" squad finished second, 20 strokes behind the "Red" team.

Redshirt freshman Allison Stewart led a contingent of six Huskers who finished in the top 10 by taking third place in her first collegiate tournament appearance. True freshman Elli Brown added a fifth-place showing, while Chelsea Gehring, Sara Sackett and Chrissie McArdle took sixth through eighth place, respectively.

Chip-N Club Invitational
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Course: Wilderness Ridge
Host: Nebraska
Rounds: 3 (54 holes)
Par: 72
Yardage: 5,933

Number of Teams (9)
Nebraska
Kansas State
Louisville
Creighton
Montana
Wichita State
Redlands Community College
South Dakota State
North Dakota State

Nebraska Lineup
1. Stephanie Ruiz
2. Sara Sackett
3. Chrissie McArdle
4. Elli Brown
5. Jackie Beste

Nebraska Individuals
1. Allison Stewart
2. Andrea Dunagan
3. Chelsea Gehring
4. Megan Place

Ruiz Earns Top-Five Finish at Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic
Senior Stephanie Ruiz led the Nebraska women’s golf team to a seventh-place finish at the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic after shooting one-under par and tying for fifth place with 215 (69-71-75) to open the Huskers’ 2005 fall schedule.

The Edmond, Okla., native entered Tuesday’s final round in a tie for second after shooting a career-low 69 in Monday’s opening round, before closing the tournament’s first day with a one-under par 71. Ruiz added a solid round of 75 to earn the fourth top-five finish of her career.

Ruiz’s impressive three-round total of 215 was 14 strokes better than her previous career-best three-round score of 229 set in 2002.

Sophomore Elli Brown also finished with the best tournament score of her career (227) to finish in a tie for 33rd.

Nebraska Enjoys Mix of Talent and Experience
The Nebraska women's golf team returns to the course this year with a pleasant mix of talent, youth and experience.

Building on the momentum gained by the 2004-05 team, eight returning letterwinners are competing for spots in the lineup, including four seniors. The Huskers also return four talented underclassmen who have the skills and experience to be successful in 2005-06.

Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl, who is in her 19th year, said the combination will be interesting to watch and will give each of the players incentive to play to their potential every time they walk on the course.

"We do have a lot of younger players who were very competitive last season, "Krapfl said. "Yet we're going to have four seniors on the team and they bring a lot of experience."

Depth will also be a major factor in the team's success. Krapfl said all nine players could compete for spots in the lineup.

"If it works like it is supposed to work, they are going to be able to push each other to work hard and get better because they know if they aren't, there is someone who is going to beat them out for that starting spot," Krapfl said. "There's going to be a lot of competition this fall and this coming spring."

Seniors Provide Leadership and Experience to Roster
The returning seniors, Stephanie Ruiz, Jackie Beste, Chelsea Gehring and Sara Sackett, each bring different strengths to the course that will be beneficial to the team as a whole.

One senior Krapfl is hoping will have a major impact is Ruiz, who sat out 2004-05 as a redshirt to focus on her swing and bring more consistency to her game. Ruiz adds the most rounds played to the mix. Ruiz had a strong spring, and Krapfl said she expects Ruiz to return with plenty of confidence and maturity after a successful summer.

Entering this season, Ruiz had competed in 99 rounds, including a pair of top 10 finishes as a junior and a 79.58 career stroke average.

"Stephanie comes back as our most experienced player," Krapfl said. "She looked great this spring, so I'm really excited to have her back. I really feel like she's going to provide a lot of leadership and be a role model for the other players."

Beste and Sackett had the most experience coming out of the 2004-05 season. Both provide athleticism and could help the team accomplish its goals, Krapfl said. Since both have the talent and ability, it will be important for them to let loose and let it show through.

With a stroke average of 79.85 in 2004-05, Sackett has the third-best returning stroke average on the team. Beste, who entered 2005-06 with 76 rounds of experience, is also a leader in the classroom as a two-time NGCA Scholastic All-American and a two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 selection in 2004 and 2005.

Gehring contributes a solid and graceful swing, and it will be important for her to come out of the summer with a competitive spirit, Krapfl said. With a tremendous amount of ability, Gehring has all the potential to have a breakout season in her final campaign with the Huskers.

As one of the most improved players on the team, Gehring has shaved 6.32 strokes off her game in her career.

McArdle Wins Minnesota Tournament
Junior Chrissie McArdle claimed the Minnesota Stroke Play Championship by three strokes at the Wayzata Country Club in Wayzata, Minn., on Aug. 17.

McArdle finished the 54-hole event with a five-over par, 221 after shooting two-over 72 in the final round of competition. She defeated players from at least five different Division I schools, including Minnesota, Oklahoma, Michigan and Iowa State. McArdle outclassed the rest of the talented field, defeating runner-up Leigh Klasse by three strokes. Lisa Meshke finished four strokes off McArdle’s pace at 225.

McArdle owns the best returning stroke average for the 2005-06 Nebraska women’s golf team at 77.56 and has four career top 10 finishes along with eight career top 20 finishes.

Huskers Recognized for Outstanding Academics
The Nebraska women’s golf team earned recognition from the National Golf Coaches Association for its outstanding team grade-point average during the 2004-05 season.

Nebraska was ranked seventh in the country with its overall GPA of 3.566. South Carolina won the NGCA All-Scholar Team GPA Award with its 3.752 cumulative team GPA.

The NGCA’s new award recognizes women’s collegiate golf programs for their academic achievements. The list is made up of the top 25 collective GPAs in the nation.

Earlier this summer, the NGCA recognized four Huskers individually for their outstanding academic performances. Merynn Ito, Jackie Beste, Chelsea Gehring and Allison Stewart earned honors for their cumulative GPA’s of 3.5 or higher. Nebraska leads the nation with 42 all-time NGCA Scholastic All-Americans.

Freshmen Get Valuable Experience in 2004-05
Sophomores Elli Brown and Allison Stewart are coming off of successful freshman seasons and have the potential to make even greater impacts in the lineup.

"The experience that the freshmen got last season was invaluable," Krapfl said. "Now that they know what it is all about, I look for both of them to really step up and have a successful final three years."

Brown comes into the season with the potential to be one of Nebraska's best all-time players, Krapfl said. Brown played in all of Nebraska's tournaments last season and posted a 77.83 stroke average in the spring, the second-best average by a Husker.

"Elli has great length and she is a very good iron player," Krapfl said. "Now that she has that freshman year out of the way, hopefully she's really going to feel comfortable shooting the scores that her golf game dictates that she would be able to shoot. I'm excited about her future."

Stewart will emerge from a successful redshirt freshman campaign after playing in all but one tournament last season. Krapfl said Stewart's tenacious work ethic as well as her positive attitude have made her a valuable member of the squad. Stewart, who owned a 78.6 stroke average in the fall of 2004, could see a breakthrough and have an outstanding sophomore season, according to Krapfl.