Huskers Head to Idaho to Defend Bronco Invite Crown

The Nebraska women’s golf team will attempt to defend both a team title and an individual crown when the Huskers compete at the 2007 Bronco Fall Invitational in Kuna, Idaho, on Monday and Tuesday.

Kate White and Meridian, Idaho native Elli Brown claimed the top two spots to lead the Huskers to a then-school-record three-round score of 884 in the 17-team 2006 Bronco Invitational.

White, playing in just her fourth collegiate tournament, fired a final round, two-over-par 73 on the 6,177-yard layout at the BanBury Golf Club in Eagle, Idaho, to finish the 54-hole tournament at 213 (67-73-73).

The Waukegan, Ill., native tied the school record with her opening-round 67 on Monday and held off teammate and hometown favorite Brown in the final round.

Brown will be back in Idaho for a final shot at a tournament crown in her home state against a 13-team field.

White will attempt to defend her title despite being slowed by a knee injury through Nebraska’s first three fall tournaments. White and Brown, will join Allison Stewart, JC Stevenson and Megan Place in Nebraska’s lineup to take aim at the 6,193-yard, par-72 layout of the Falcon Crest Golf Club. The tournament will begin with a shotgun start on Monday. The teams will play 36 holes on Monday, before concluding the tournament with 18 holes on Tuesday.

NU Takes Sixth in Rain-Shortened Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invite
Nebraska had its final round of competition canceled by rain at the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational at the Colbert Hills Golf Course on Tuesday.

The tournament, which was scheduled for 54 holes, completed the first two rounds on Monday with the Huskers ending in sixth place at 613. Nebraska seniors Elli Brown and Allison Stewart finished the tournament in a tie for 11th place individually at 150. Missouri’s Julia Potter won the individual title with a one-under-par 143.

Kansas captured the team title with a two-round total of 600, two strokes ahead of Missouri’s 602.

White, Huskers Claim 2006 Bronco Invitational Title
Kate White and Meridian, Idaho native Elli Brown claimed the top two spots to lead the Huskers to a then-school-record three-round score of 884 in the 17-team Bronco Invitational.

White, playing in just her fourth collegiate tournament, fired a final round, two-over-par 73 on the 6,177-yard layout at the BanBury Golf Club in Eagle, Idaho, to finish the 54-hole tournament at 213 (67-73-73).

The Waukegan, Ill., native tied the school record with her opening-round 67 on Monday and held off teammate and hometown favorite Brown in the final round.

"Obviously Kate winning as a freshman is a tremendous accomplishment and I am really proud of her," Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. "She felt a lot of pressure today entering the final round in the lead and she was four over after the first four holes. But she regrouped and came on strong down the stretch to birdie three of the last four holes and win the tournament."

Brown added a one-over-par 72 to lead the Huskers on Tuesday, and finish in a tie for second just three strokes behind White at 216.

The second-place showing was the best tournament finish of Brown’s career, while her 216 smashed her previous career-low 54-hole score of 223.

"I’m really happy for Elli, too," Krapfl said. "I know she felt tremendous pressure and was excited to be playing at home in front of so many family and friends. She came through with three solid rounds of golf and finished right up there near the top. I think that shows a lot of maturity in her game."

The one-two performance of White and Brown propelled the Huskers to an eight-stroke victory over UC Davis for the team title. The two teams entered the final 18 holes in a tie for first at 588, but with low scores from White and Brown, along with a 75 from true freshman JC Stevenson and a 76 from senior Chrissie McArdle, the Huskers finished with a final round 296 - the lowest score of the third round. NU also produced the best second-round score of the tournament on Monday afternoon with a 292.

Nebraska’s 884 team score over three rounds smashed the previous school record of 887, set two times, most recently at the Mountain View Collegiate March 25-26, 2006. The Huskers also shot an 887 at the Colorado Invitational in 1997.

The 2006-07 Huskers later smashed their own record by firing an 866 in winning the Mountain View Collegiate in March.

UC Davis managed a 304 in the final round to finish at 892, 17 strokes ahead of the hosts from Boise State. The Broncos closed the tournament with a 297 to finish at 909. Brigham Young finished fourth at 917, while Xavier rounded out the top five team scores in the tournament with a 920, 36 strokes behind the Huskers.

Husker Individuals in the 2006 Bronco Fall Invitational
1. Kate White, Nebraska (67-73-73-213)
T2. Elli Brown, Nebraska (73-71-72-216)
13. JC Stevenson (79-73-75-227)
T14. Chrissie McArdle (77-75-76-228)
T14. Andrea Carlson (Dunagan) (74-75-79-228)*
58. Megan Place (84-82-80-246)

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 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.

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 12 career top-10 finishes as a Husker, including eight a year ago, while posting 22 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.

Stewart Offers Stabilizing Presence in Husker Lineup
Joining Elli Brown as a leader in 2007-08 will be Allison Stewart. The fifth-year senior from Vermillion, S.D., 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.

"Allison has played a major role on our team the last three seasons and we hope she can take her game up a notch this year," Krapfl said. "She has great leadership qualities, is a great teammate, and she is certainly one of the hardest workers on our team. She will help set the tone for our younger players."

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."

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.