Huskers Conclude Fall at Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate

Kiawah Island, S.C. - The Nebraska women’s golf team will conclude its fall season at the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate in Kiawah Island, S.C., Oct. 31-Nov. 1.

The tournament will play 27 holes each day at the par-72, 5,919-yard Oak Point Golf Club with a shotgun start at 8 a.m., Monday. On Tuesday, the shotgun start will begin at

7:15 a.m. to conclude the second round and the third round will follow immediately.

The 19-team field will feature Kansas State as the only other Big 12 Conference school. This will be the fourth time the Huskers and Wildcats meet this fall and the Huskers have placed above them each time.

Last season, the Huskers placed fourth out of 18 teams with the best performance of the 2004 fall season. NU fired an 889, two strokes shy of the school record. Junior Chrissie McArdle and senior Sara Sackett both produced career-best performances to propel the Huskers into fourth place after entering the final day in 11th.

Huskers Post Third Top-Five Finish
The Nebraska women’s golf team fired a final-round 300 to finish in fourth place with a 911 at the 16-team Lady Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Oct. 18.

"We got off to a good start," Coach Robin Krapfl said. "We were cruising along and then made some mental mistakes and took big numbers that hurt us, but we came back after yesterday’s disappointing round and got a solid score today."

Sophomore Elli Brown was Nebraska’s top performer, climbing six places after falling into a tie for 16th after Monday’s second-round 78. Brown matched Sunday’s first-round 73 in the final 18 holes on the par-72, 6,013-yard Pinnacle Country Club course to propel her into a tie for 10th with a career-best 224.

Junior Chrissie McArdle fired 77 to finish the tournament in 19th place with 228, overcoming a second-round 80 that dropped her from second place into a tie for 16th after tying her career-best 71 in the first round on Sunday. Senior Stephanie Ruiz also bounced back with a final-round 74 to move her into a tie for 35th. Ruiz shot 77 on Sunday and 82 through the second 18 holes to drop her into a tie for 54th coming into the final round.

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, 11 out of 12 rounds for Ruiz through the fall 2005 season have been 78 or better, including four rounds under par.

In addition, Ruiz set a new school record for 18- hole rounds at 67, at the Marilyn Smith/Sunflower Invitational in Manhattan, Kan., at the par-72, 6,046-yard Colbert Hills Country Club. She broke 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.

Ruiz tied for first place at the end of tournament regulation with a one-under-par 215, but lost to Kansas State’s Helene Roberts in the second playoff hole.

The Edmond, Okla., native has produced three top-five scores so far this fall and owns the best stroke average on the team at 74.0. 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 playing 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 making a strong impact in the Husker lineup, providing NU with the second-lowest stroke average on the squad at 75.25. All 12 of Sackett’s rounds have been 78 or better, including three rounds under par.

Sackett has impressive finishes at all four 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 4.6 strokes off of her 2004-05 average and has shot a career-best 71 at the Ptarmigan Ram Invitational, Sept. 12-13.

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 14 top-20 finishes through just four tournaments this fall. Also, the Huskers have produced an astounding 11 rounds at or below par versus just three through all of the fall of 2004. In addition, 63 of NU’s 79 rounds are at or 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 seven top-10 finishes through four 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 8.64 stroke improvement from fall of 2004.

Huskers Earn Early National Ranking
The Nebraska women’s golf team has earned a No. 45 ranking in the Golfstat polls after producing a 300.0 average score per round.

In addition, the Huskers tied the school scoring records for 18-holes with 285 in the second round of the Marilyn Smith/Sunflower Invitational, leading them to tie the 36-hole record of 582 through the first two rounds in Manhattan, Kan., at the Colbert Hills Country Club. Both of the records were originally set at the 1998 Chip-N Club Invitational.

Nebraska is making steady improvements from the 2004-05 season, boosting the overall stroke average from 2004-05 by 10.38 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 four tournaments, McArdle owns a 76.58 stroke average over 12 rounds, tying her career-best round of 71 at the Lady Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Oct. 16-18. McArdle has also posted an impressive 10 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.

At the Lady Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Oct. 16-18, Brown shot a career-best 224 and was Nebraska’s top finisher, placing in a tie for 10th with solid rounds of 73, 78 and 73.

"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 75.33 stroke average over 12 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 11 rounds out of 12 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.