Huskers Set to Open 2006 Spring in Mexico

Lincoln, Neb. - The Nebraska women’s golf team will travel to Ensada, Mexico, to play at the Baja Invitational Monday, Feb. 13 and Tuesday, Feb. 14, hosted by Southern Mississippi.

The Huskers are taking the full team with a complete lineup as well as four other players who will be competing as individuals.

Seniors Sara Sackett, Stephanie Ruiz and Jackie Beste along with sophomore Elli Brown and junior Chrissie McArdle will be featured in the lineup. Redshirt freshman Megan Place, sophomore Allison Stewart, senior Chelsea Gehring and junior Andrea Dunagan will play as individuals at the tournament.

"I am really excited about this opporunity to get a tournament in before we head to the Central District Invitational the following week," Coach Robin Krapfl said. "It is an opportunity to shake the rust, settle the nerves, and build some momentum. I also like the fact we are able to have the whole team compete. Everyone has been working hard so it is a nice reward and adds to the competitiveness within the team."

The Huskers will play a practice round on Sunday before playing the first 36 holes on Monday and the final 18 on Tuesday.

NU Storms Into Spring After Impressive Fall
The Nebraska women’s golf team had an outstanding start to the 2005-06 season by earning a staggering 16 top-20 finishes through five tournaments. The Huskers produced an astounding 12 rounds at or below par versus just three through all of the 2004 fall season. In addition, 73 of NU’s 94 rounds were 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 had nine top-10 finishes through five tournaments versus eight top-10 placings during the 2004 fall campaign.

As a team, the Huskers were just as impressive, earning team championship and runner-up honors with a striking 7.71 stroke improvement from fall of 2004.

Huskers Recognized for Academic Accomplishments
Ten members of the Nebraska women’s golf team were recognized for their outstanding academic achievements by making the fall 2005 Big 12 Commissioner’s honor roll.

Seniors Sara Sackett, Jackie Beste and Chelsea Gehring were named along with juniors Chrissie McArdle and Andrea Dunagan, sophomores Elli Brown and Allison Stewart and redshirt freshman Megan Place. Former Huskers Merynn Ito and Beth Anne Bryson were also named to the list.

The Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes who earned a 3.0 GPA or higher during the previous semester. Overall, Nebraska had 235 student-athletes named to the fall honor roll, including 35 who produced perfect 4.0 grade-point averages during the fall semester.

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.

Last 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.

Sackett Hoping to Continue Consistently Low Scores
Senior Sara Sackett made a strong impact in the Husker lineup through the fall 2005 campaign as Nebraska’s most consistent player. She has produced NU’s lowest stroke average 75.13 with all 15 of Sackett’s rounds being 78 or better, including three rounds under par.

Sackett had impressive finishes at all five of NU’s fall tournaments, earning runner-up honors at the 2005 Chip-N Club Invitational on Sept. 26-27, while also tying for fourth place at the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate, Oct. 31-Nov. 1. In addition, she placed in the top 20 in three out of the five fall tournaments.

The Cambridge, Neb., native has shaved 4.72 strokes off of her 2004-05 average and shot a career-best 71 at the Ptarmigan Ram Invitational, Sept. 12-13.

Brown Capitalizes on 2004-05 Experience
Sophomore Elli Brown is coming off a successful freshman season and fall campaign, having the potential to make even greater impact in the lineup through the spring season.

At the Lady Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Oct. 16-18 and the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Brown shot a career-best 224 and was Nebraska’s top finisher in both tournaments. At the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate she placed in a tie for fourth, giving her the third top-10 finish of the fall season.

"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 spring 2006 season with the potential to be one of Nebraska's best all-time players, Krapfl said. Brown played in all of Nebraska's tournaments in 2004-05 and posted a 77.83 stroke average in the spring, the second-best average by a Husker. In the 2005 fall season she recorded a 75.20 stroke average over 15 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 shot 78 or below in 14 of 15 fall rounds and produced two rounds below par. She shot 71 twice, which is one stroke away from her career-best 70 at the 2005 Betsy Rawls Tournament.

Huskers Earn Early National Ranking
The Nebraska women’s golf team has earned a No. 51 ranking in the Golfstat polls after being ranked as high as 40th, producing a 300.93 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 9.45 strokes through the 2005-06 season.

Depth has played a part in NU’s success. When the season began, 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.

Ruiz Led Huskers Through Successful Fall Campaign
Senior Stephanie Ruiz started the 2005-06 season exceeding the high expectations set for her at the beginning of the season. Ruiz shot 78 or better in 12 of 15 fall rounds, including four rounds under par.

In addition, Ruiz set a school record for an 18-hole round 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 on the second playoff hole.

The Edmond, Okla., native produced three top-five scores during the fall and owns the third-best stroke average on the team at 75.33. 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."

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 scheduled for April 17-19 at the Country Club of Lincoln.

The Huskers will try to improve on 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 seaosn, providing the Huskers with consistently low numbers in NU’s lineup through the fall.

Through five tournaments, McArdle owns a 76.40 stroke average over 15 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 13 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 the2005-06 season, McArdle owned the best returning stroke average on the team at 77.56 and has four career top-10 finishes along with nine career top-20 finishes. McArdle’s best finish this fall was a tie for 11th place at the Chip-N Club Invitational.