Huskers Close Fall Season in South Carolina

The Nebraska women’s golf team wraps up its 2007 fall campaign at the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Invitational in Kiawah Island, S.C., Monday, Oct. 29, and Tuesday, Oct. 30.

Coach Robin Krapfl’s Huskers, who are coming off their first tournament title of the season at the Bronco Fall Invitational, have had three full weeks off since their last competition.

The Huskers will take aim at a second straight tournament title against their largest field of the season. NU will be one of four Big 12 teams, joining Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas State, in a 20-team field at the Oak Point Golf Club.

The par-72 layout at Oak Point will also feature the Huskers’ shortest course of the season at just 5,933 yards.

Nebraska will take a new lineup to South Carolina, with true freshman Mary Kate Bird earning her first lineup spot during qualifying competition. Sophomore Charlotte Wendner also earned a spot in the NU lineup in the No. 4 position, behind fellow sophomore JC Stevenson in the three spot. Senior Allison Stewart, who is coming off the first individual tournament title of her career with a win at the Bronco Invitational, and fellow senior Elli Brown will occupy the top two spots in NU’s lineup.

According to Coach Krapfl, Wendner and Bird earned their lineup spots by playing the best golf of their young collegiate careers over the past few weeks.

Edwin Watts/Palmetto Invitational at a Glance
Host: College of Charleston
Location: Kiawah Island, S.C.
Course: Oak Point Golf Club
Par 72, 5,933 Yards
Shotgun Start - Monday, 7:30 a.m. (36 holes)
Shotgun Start - Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. (18 holes)

Nebraska Lineup
1. Allison Stewart
2. Elli Brown
3. JC Stevenson
4. Charlotte Wendner
5. Mary Kate Bird

Tournament Field
Appalachian State, Baylor, Campbell, Charleston Southern, College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, East Tennessee State, Georgia State, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas State, Maryland, Miami, Nebraska, Oral Roberts, Princeton, Chattanooga, Western Carolina, Wisconsin

Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

Huskers Repeat as Bronco Invitational Champions
The Nebraska women’s golf team overcame "brutal" playing conditions to repeat as Bronco Invitational tournament champions in Kuna, Idaho, Oct. 8-9. Battling steady cross-winds approaching 40 mph throughout the final round, senior Allison Stewart produced the best finish of her career by sharing the individual title with Kansas State’s Michelle Regan.

"We played our round with K-State and their coach and I agreed that this was probably the toughest day we have ever coached in on the golf course. It was brutal out there," Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. "I think it says a lot about the mental toughness our golfers showed today, especially Allison and Kate (White)."

Stewart, a senior from Vermillion, S.D., earned the first title of her collegiate career with a less than sparkling round of 79. Stewart finished at 233 with rounds of 81, 73 and 79.

White, a sophomore from Waukegan, Ill, and the defending Bronco Invitational champion, added a 79 of her own to match the Huskers’ best round the day and finish in third place in the 78-player field. White finished just one shot out of a share of her second career tournament title at 234. Fellow sophomore Charlotte Wendner, playing outside of NU’s lineup, posted a career-best fourth-place finish at 236.

Sophomore JC Stevenson added a tie for seventh place, while Elli Brown and Megan Place each finished in a tie for 11th at 243. Nebraska’s six golfers all finished among the top 12 in the tournament to help NU to an 11-stroke win over Kansas State.

Stewart Off to Stellar Start at Top of Husker Lineup
Allison Stewart is enjoying the best season of her Nebraska career through NU’s first four tournaments of 2007-08. The senior from Vermillion, S.D., won her first career tournament title by sharing the individual crown at the 2007 Bronco Fall Invitational in Kuna, Idaho, Oct. 9.

Playing in cold temperatures and strong winds throughout the tournament, Stewart overcame the conditions to produce rounds of 81-73-79 to finish at 233. The win marked Stewart’s third top-15 finish of the fall. She heads into the final tournament of the fall campaign as Nebraska’s stroke average leader at 75.91, nearly a full stroke ahead of 2007 first-team All-Big 12 teammate Elli Brown.

Stewart has been a valuable contributor in Nebraska’s lineup at the Big 12 Championships each of the past three seasons, helping the Huskers qualify for NCAA Regionals each of the last two years.

Stewart came on strong at the end of her junior season and was one of Nebraska’s most reliable golfers down the stretch, which included a 20th-place showing at the Big 12 Championships.

She got her senior season off to an impressive start by tying a career-best with a final-round 70 at the Chip-N Club Invitational on Sept. 11. She finished in a tie for sixth with a career-best 223 in the 100-player field.

Along with her success on the course, Stewart has been a star in the classroom at Nebraska. A three-time NGCA Scholastic All-American, Stewart earned first-team academic All-Big 12 honors last year, and may contend for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors this season.

All-Big 12 Brown Hopes to Chase All-America Honors as Senior
Nebraska senior Elli Brown hopes to make a strong case for All-America honors in her final year as a Husker. A first-team All-Big 12 selection as a junior in 2007, Brown finished third at the Big 12 Championships.

Brown, a four-year starter from Meridian, Idaho, owns 13 career top-10 finishes as a Husker, including eight a year ago, while posting 23 top-25 career finishes at NU. Along with her success on the course, she has also earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in the classroom during her career and is a member of Nebraska’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

"Elli has been solid for us week-in and week-out for three years in our lineup," Krapfl said. "Last year, she took on more of a leadership role on our team as well, so she should be an undeniable leader on this year’s squad."

As a junior, Brown bolted out off the tee box for a blistering start to the fall season. She finished in the top 10 individually in each of Nebraska’s five fall tournaments and earned the conference’s first Big 12 Golfer-of-the-Month award last September.

Four Returning Starters Give Huskers Solid Nucleus in 2007-08
The Nebraska women’s golf team returns four starters, including returning first-team All-Big 12 Conference selection Elli Brown, to its 2007-08 roster after qualifying for NCAA Regional play last season.

The Huskers, who earned a spot in the 24-team NCAA Championship field in 2006, began their pursuit of a bid in college golf’s biggest tournament by playing host to the Chip-N Club Invitational Sept. 10-11 at Woodland Hills Golf Club.

In addition to the talent and experience that four-year starter and All-America candidate Elli Brown brings to the Husker lineup, senior Allison Stewart brings plenty of leadership and experience of her own. A three-time NGCA Scholastic All-American who has been a part-time starter in NU’s lineup the past three seasons, Stewart is a leader on the course, in the classroom and in the community for the Huskers.

Nebraska’s two seniors are joined by a pair of sophomores who earned full-time starting spots as true freshmen in the Husker lineup last season. Kate White, was one of NU’s top performers last season. The native of Waukegan, Ill., enjoyed one of the best freshman seasons in school history a year ago, competing in all 35 rounds and earning Midseason Freshman All-America honors from GolfWorld.

Stevenson, a native of Grand Island, Neb., contributed to Nebraska’s lineup throughout the season, playing in every round.

White, Stevenson Give Huskers Strong Sophomore Class
Nebraska’s Kate White earned one of six spots on Golf World’s Midseason Freshman All-America team announced in November of 2006.

She won a tournament title at the Bronco Invitational and tied a Nebraska record with an opening-round 67. She posted four rounds below par, and proved herself as one of the Huskers’ most explosive players on the course.

"Kate had an outstanding freshman year, but I know that at the end of the season she wanted to do more to help the team," Krapfl said. "I think she learned a lot about herself and the game last year, and it will make her a more consistent player this year."

White was not the only freshman to make an impact on NU’s lineup last season. JC Stevenson, a native of Grand Island, Neb., filled a spot in Nebraska’s top five through most of the season.

"JC really did some good things for us throughout the year, and put together some big rounds to help us at times," Krapfl said. "Obviously, we will want her to improve her consistency this year, but that is a natural progression for a young golfer to make."

A third sophomore, Charlotte Wendner, also got a taste of college competition last year and has earned more time in Nebraska’s lineup this season, playing in all 11 rounds, including part-time spots in the lineup.

Wendner, a native of Bjarred, Sweden, competed in eight rounds but did not play as a member of NU’s lineup. She did show some flashes of a strong game, firing a round of 75 during the season.

"Charlotte has the intangible of length and is just getting a firm grasp of the game," Krapfl said. "She has a lot of potential though, which gives us a lot of reasons to look forward to her future here at Nebraska."

Huskers Earn NGCA All-Scholar Team Award
Nebraska posted the fifth-highest team grade-point average of any squad in the nation to earn one of 25 NGCA All-Scholar Team honors from the National Golf Coaches Association in July.

Coach Robin Krapfl’s Huskers, who advanced to NCAA Regional play for the second straight season on the course, posted a 3.705 cumulative team GPA during the year. Allison Stewart (Vermillion, S.D.) earned a spot on the NGCA All-America Scholar Team after posting a perfect 4.0 GPA during the 2007 spring semester, while true freshmen Kate White (Waukegan, Ill.) and JC Stevenson (Grand Island, Neb.) added spots on the All-America Scholar Team.

It was Stewart’s third consecutive scholastic All-America award from the NGCA, making her the 10th Husker in history to become a three-time NGCA Scholastic All-American. With Stewart, White and Stevenson all earning spots on the team, it marked the fifth straight season that Nebraska has produced more than one NGCA Scholastic All-American. To earn a spot on the All-American Scholar Team as an individual, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA and compete in at least 50 percent of her team’s scheduled competitve rounds.