Huskers Head to Lady Razorback Invitational

The Nebraska women’s golf team is set to compete at the Lady Razorback Invitational hosted by No. 3 (Golfstat) and No. 2 (Golfweek) Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. The tournament, sponsered by Tyson and Embassy Suites, will begin with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start at the par-72, 6,102-yard Pinnacle Country Club.

The competition will feature some of the toughest teams the Huskers have seen all year with four squads ranked in the top 50 by Golfweek. Nebraska will face Big 12 Conference foes Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State. NU has finished ahead of Kansas State twice already this fall.

Nebraska won the Lady Razorback Invitational in 1999 with a two-round score of 604. Most recently, Nebraska placed eighth in the 19-team field in the fall of 2004.

Huskers Give Record-Breaking Performance
Senior Stephanie Ruiz fired a school-record five-under-par 67 to help Nebraska tie the mark for the best round in school history with a 285 in the second round of the Marilyn Smith/Sunflower Invitational in Manhattan, Kan., Oct. 10-11. Those scores propelled the Huskers and Ruiz to second-place finishes. NU finished 21 strokes behind Texas Christian with 890 (297-285-308) and three strokes ahead of third-place Kansas State.

Ruiz finished regulation tied for first place with Kansas State’s Helene Robert at one-under-par 215, but lost on the second playoff hole.

The Edmond, Okla., native broke the original school record of 68 in the second round set by Amy Roux on Oct. 13, 1998 at the Big Ten/Big 12 Shootout at the Legends’ Challenge (first round) in Franklin, Ind., and tied by Elizabeth Bahensky in the third round of the 2000 NCAA Championships in Sunriver, Ore.

Also in the second round, the Huskers tied the school scoring records for 18-holes with 285, leading them to tie the 36-hole record of 582 through the first two rounds. Both of the records were originally set at the 1998 Chip-N Club Invitational.

Five Huskers finished in the top 20, with sophomore Elli Brown placing ninth after shooting 80 in the final round to finish with 223 (72-71-80). Senior Sara Sackett finished with 225 (78-72-75) to place her in a tie for 12th, while junior Chrissie McArdle shot 227 (74-75-78) to earn 18th place.

Ruiz Leading Huskers Through Successful Fall Campaign
Senior Stephanie Ruiz has started the 2005-06 season exceeding the high expectations set for her at the beginning of the season.

So far, all nine of Ruiz’s rounds through the fall 2005 season have been 78 or better, including four rounds under par.

In addition, Ruiz has set a new school record for 18- hole rounds at 67, breaking the previous record of 68 set by Amy Roux in the fall of 1998 and tied by Elizabeth Bahensky in fall 2000 and Merynn Ito in the fall of 2004.

The Edmond, Okla., native has produced three top-five scores so far this fall and owns the best stroke average on the team at 72.77. Coming into the season, Head Coach Robin Krapfl predicted Ruiz would have a strong impact after redshirting the 2004-05 season to work on her swing.

"It feels great to play the kind of golf I have been player so far," Ruiz said. "Especially shooting a school record. I have worked really hard to get where I am with my game right now, and I have really put in a lot of time. It’s really paying off for me now in my senior year."

Sackett Providing Consistently Low Scores
Senior Sara Sackett is already making a strong impact in the Huskers lineup, providing NU with the second-lowest stroke average on the squad at 74.77. All nine of Sackett’s rounds have been 78 or better, including three rounds under par.

Sackett has impressive finishes at all three of NU’s fall tournaments, earning runner-up honors at the 2005 Chip-N Club Invitational on Sept. 26-27, while also tying for 12th place at the Marilyn Smith/Sunflower Invitational, Oct. 10-11.

The Cambridge, Neb., native has shaved 5.08 strokes off of her 2004-05 average and has already shot a career-best 71 at the Ptarmigan Ram Invitational.

NU Storms Into Fall Season With Top Placings
The Nebraska women’s golf team has had an outstanding start to the 2005-06 season by earning a staggering 12 top-20 finishes through just three tournaments this fall with two tournaments still remaining. Also, the Huskers have produced an astounding 10 rounds at or below par versus just three through all of the fall of 2004. In addition, 52 of NU’s 64 rounds are below 78.

During the fall 2004 season, the Huskers had players finish in the top 20 a total of just 12 times through five fall tournaments. The Huskers have six top-10 finishes through three tournaments versus eight top-10 placings through all of last fall.

As a team, the Huskers have been just as impressive, already having earned team championship and runner-up honors with a striking 9.87 stroke improvement from fall of 2004.

Huskers Earn Early National Ranking
The Nebraska women’s golf team has earned a No. 40 ranking in the Golfstat polls after producing a 298.77 average score per round.

Nebraska is making steady improvements from the 2004-05 season, boosting the overall stroke average from 2004-05 by 11.61 strokes through the 2005-06 season. This can be credited to Nebraska’s experience, talent and work ethic.

Depth also has played a part in NU’s success through the first three tournaments. As the season started, Coach Robin Krapfl said all nine players could compete for spots in the lineup. Senior Jackie Beste proved it with her first collegiate win at the Chip-N Club Invitational, hosted by the Huskers, where she won the tournament as NU’s No. 6 player.

Huskers Win Chip-N Club Invitational
The Nebraska women’s golf team fired a final-round 307 to cruise to its third consecutive Chip-N Club Invitational title at Wilderness Ridge Country Club, Sept. 27.

The Huskers, who strung together rounds of 295, 300 and 307, finished at 902 to out-perform second place Kansas State by 18 strokes.

All of Nebraska’s top-five players finished in the top 12 in an impressive show of depth from the Husker starters. Even more impressively, NU’s No. 6 player in the tournament, senior Jackie Beste, captured the first tournament title of her career by blistering the 6, 009-yard, par 72 layout at Wilderness Ridge with a career-best 220.

"I’m really proud of what Jackie did today," Krapfl said after the meet. "I know she wanted to be in the top five, and to come out and compete and perform shows what a competitor she is. I am really excited for her first collegiate win. As a team, we work hard and they are a great group to be around. I’m proud of what they’ve accomplished and excited to see what they can accomplish the rest of the season."

NU To Host Big 12 Tournament
Nebraska has been chosen to host the 2006 Big 12 Championship women’s golf tournament scheduled for April 17-19 at the Country Club of Lincoln.

The Huskers will try to improve their seventh-place finish at the 2005 Big 12 Championships in Austin, Texas. Oklahoma State will try to defend the championship on the par-72, 6,201-yard course at the Country Club of Lincoln.

McArdle Builds Off Minnesota Tournament
Junior Chrissie McArdle is building off a strong summer of competition this fall, providing the Huskers with consistently low numbers in NU’s lineup.

Through three tournaments, McArdle owns a 76.77 stroke average over nine rounds, with her lowest round of 74 coming at the Chip-N Club Invitational. McArdle has also posted an impressive eight rounds at or below 78.

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

Coming into the fall, McArdle owned the best returning stroke average on the team at 77.56 and has four career top-10 finishes along with eight career top 20 finishes. McArdle’s best finish this fall was a tie for 11th place at the Chip-N Club Invitational.

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.

Brown Capitilizes on 2004-05 Experience
Sophomore Elli Brown is coming off of successful freshman season and has 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. This fall she has recorded a 75.55 stroke average over nine rounds.

"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."

Brown has recorded eight rounds out of nine this fall at or below 78 and has produced two rounds below par. She has shot 71 twice, which is one stroke away from her career-best 70 shot at the 2005 Betsy Rawls Tournament.