Huskers Return to Colorado for Heather Farr Memorial

The Nebraska women’s golf team returns to Colorado for its second straight competition, as the Huskers travel to the Heather Farr/Colorado Memorial Invitational, Oct. 5-6.

The Huskers will be part of a 19-team field that will be challenged by a 6,350-yard, par-72 layout at the Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, Colo. The 54-hole tournament begins with 36 holes on Monday, Oct. 5, with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. (Central). The event concludes with the final round on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com and Huskers.com.

The Huskers earned a sixth-place finish in a 13-team field at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in Highlands Ranch on their last trip to Colorado, Sept. 21-23.

Sophomore Natalie Gleadall posted her second straight top-10 finish to open the season by tying for ninth at the Ron Moore. Gleadall, a native of Stratford, Ontario, Canada, owns four career top-10 showings as a Husker.

Senior JC Stevenson added a top-20 finish at the Ron Moore, while true freshman Erin Sharpee continued her strong play to open her career. Sharpee competed for the first time in the Husker lineup at Highlands Ranch and tied for 34th.

That trio will occupy the top three spots in the Husker lineup at the Heather Farr. Senior Charlotte Wendner makes her return to the Husker lineup in the No. 4 spot, after missing NU’s first trip to Colorado this season.

Junior Mary Kate Bird, who produced Nebraska’s top individual stroke average last season, will play out of the No. 5 spot in the Husker lineup. Sophomore Maddie Sheils will also make the trip to Colorado as an individual.

Heather Farr/CU Memorial Invitational
Host: Colorado
Location: Erie, Colo.
Course: Colorado National Golf Club (Par 72, 6,350 Yards)
Shotgun Start Both Days
Monday, Oct. 5 (36) - 9:30 a.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 6 (18) - 9:30 a.m.

Nebraska Lineup
Natalie Gleadall
JC Stevenson
Erin Sharpee
Charlotte Wendner
Mary Kate Bird
NU Individual: Maddie Sheils

Heather Farr Memorial Field (19 Teams)
Colorado, Colorado State, Eastern Washington, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana State, Nebraska, Nevada, Northern Colorado, Portland State, San Diego State, SMU, Texas State, Texas Tech, UTSA, Weber State, Wyoming

Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

Gleadall Leads Huskers at Ron Moore Intercollegiate
Natalie Gleadall fired an even-par 72 in the final round to notch her second straight top-10 finish, leading the Huskers to a sixth-place finish at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate, Sept. 21-23.

Gleadall posted the Huskers’ best individual round of the tournament to close with a three-round total of 226 in a tie for ninth place.

Gleadall’s final round, along with a 75 from freshman Erin Sharpee and scores of 78 from JC Stevenson and Maddie Sheils allowed the Huskers to post a 303 in the third round to close the 13-team tournament in sixth place at 922.

Stevenson, a senior from Grand Island, Neb., joined Gleadall in the top 20 of the individual standings by tying for 18th (231). Sharpee and junior Mary Kate Bird, who settled for a final-round 81, tied for 34th (236), while Sheils tied for 41st (237) in the 73-player field.

The hosts from Denver ran away with the team title with a three-round score of 879, 14 strokes ahead of UC Davis (893). Baylor finished third (898), while Iowa State (911) and Illinois (912) rounded out the top five in front of the Huskers.

Denver’s Stephanie Sherlock won the individual title with a one-under-par 215 over three rounds.

Huskers Open Season with Solid Showing at Chip-N Club Invite
Five Huskers finished in the top 15 as Nebraska claimed second at the 2009 Chip-N Club Invitational at Wilderness Ridge Golf Course, Sept. 14-15.

Missouri won the team title with a three-round total of 878, while NU finished second with a solid 889.

Senior JC Stevenson finished as Nebraska’s top individual in eighth place after a final-round 72 to close at 220. Stevenson, a Grand Island, Neb., native, finished one shot ahead of sophomore Natalie Gleadall, who managed a 77 on Tuesday to close in a tie for ninth at 221.

Junior Mary Kate Bird posted Nebraska’s best round of the day with a one-under-par 71 to close in a tie for 12th at 223, while fellow junior Rachel Hanigan closed Nebraska’s team scoring with a 75 to finish in a tie for 27th at 229. NU senior Charlotte Wendner settled for an 80 to close in a tie for 30th at 230.

Husker individuals Maddie Sheils and Erin Sharpee added top-15 finishes in the 83-player field. Sharpee, a true freshman from Green Bay, Wis., posted an even-par 72 for the second straight day to close her first collegiate tournament at 224. Sheils, a sophomore from Boise, Idaho, matched Sharpee’s 224 in a tie for 15th after a final-round 78. Sophomores Carolyn Schorgl (73) and Kayla Knopik (74) also added strong rounds to close Nebraska’s season-opening tournament.

Senior Stevenson Solid Near Top of Husker Lineup
JC Stevenson hopes to put the finishing touches on a solid Nebraska career as a senior in 2009-10. The Grand Island, Neb., native has competed in 111 rounds for the Huskers and owns a strong 77.81 career stroke average.

The veteran of NU’s lineup, Stevenson owns 17 career top-20 finishes, including six career top-10 showings. She posted her best effort at the 2007 Edwin Watts/Palmetto Invitational when she won the tournament with a career-best 216, including two career-best rounds of 70.

She opened the 2009-10 season with a 220 over three rounds at the Chip-N Club Invitational, which included a pair of 72s in the second and third rounds. She added a tie for 18th with a 231 at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate.

A three-time NGCA Scholastic All-American and a two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 performer, Stevenson tied for 20th at the 2009 Big 12 Championships. She is expected to contend for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors this season.

Sophomore Gleadall Shooting for Strong Second Season
Although she is in just her second season at Nebraska, Natalie Gleadall came into 2009-10 as one of NU’s most experienced golfers. The sophomore from Stratford, Ontario, Canada competed in all 33 rounds for the Huskers last season and produced an impressive 78.64 stroke average.

She opened 2009-10 strong with a three-round total of 221 to tie for ninth at the Chip-N Club Invitational, Sept. 14-15. Gleadall’s effort included a season-best 70 in the second round. She tied for ninth again a week later at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate, posting a three-round score of 226, which included a final-round 72. It was Gleadall’s fourth career top-10 showing and second of the year.

Gleadall’s true freshman campaign was highlighted by a school-record-tying 67 in the second round of the UNLV Spring Invitational. Her record round helped her to a tie for sixth with a career-best 219 at UNLV and was one of two top-10 finishes on the season.

Gleadall finished her freshman season with five top-35 finishes, including a tie for 22nd at her career-opening Chip-N Club Invitational. She also tied for seventh at the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational in the second event of her career.

She finished with NU’s fourth-best stroke average on the season, which also ranked as the No. 4 stroke average by a freshman in Nebraska history.

Bird Hopes to Fly High, Stay Healthy in 2009-10
Mary Kate Bird was Nebraska’s leader during the 2009 spring campaign and was gaining momentum heading down the stretch until suffering a wrist injury in the first round of the Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational on April 18.

As a sophomore, Bird produced three top-10 finishes in 2008-09, including a tie for ninth at the Mountain View Collegiate in Tucson, Ariz., March 28-29. Bird fired a three-round total of 217, after tying for eighth place (222) at the Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Classic, Feb. 22-24. She opened the year with the best finish of her career by taking second with a career-best 215 at the 2009 Chip-N Club Invitational, Sept. 15-16.

Bird finished with Nebraska’s best stroke average (76.68) on the season, but was unable to compete at the 2009 Big 12 Championships because of the injury. It marked the second straight season that Bird missed the Big 12 Championships, after sitting out the conference tournament with the flu as a freshman.

However, she did earn academic All-Big 12 recognition at the end of the season and was named one of Nebraska’s 30 student-athlete Hero Award winners in 2009.

Bird opened her junior season by tying for 12th with a 223 at the Chip-N Club Invitational, Sept. 14-15. Bird’s tournament included a final-round 71. She added a tie for 34th (236) at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate the following week.

Bird owns 46 rounds of experience at Nebraska with a 77.70 career stroke average. She has seven career top-25 finishes, including three top-10 showings.

Wendner Captures All-Big 12 Championship Honors
Charlotte Wendner earned the first conference honors of her career by tying for 10th place at the 2009 Big 12 Championships in Lubbock, Texas, April 24-26. The top 10 finishers earned spots on the All-Big 12 Championship Team.

Wendner capped her junior season with rounds of 75, 73 and 84 to finish at 232 on the par-73, 6,564-yard layout of the Rawls Course. Wendner headed into the final round of the tournament in a tie for third place at 148.

It was Wendner’s second straight top-20 finish at the Big 12 Championships, after taking 18th place at Oklahoma State in 2008. In her career, Wendner owns eight top-25 finishes, including four top-10 efforts. She has added a solid 78.89 career stroke average over 70 rounds.

In addition to her honors on the course, Wendner also captured first-team academic All-Big 12 accolades for the second consecutive season and was a 2009 NGCA Scholastic All-American.

Sophomore Sheils, Freshman Sharpee Play Well at Chip-N Club
Maddie Sheils produced a breakout performance in the season-opening Chip-N Club Invitational. The sophomore from Boise, Idaho, posted her first career top-25 finish, tying for 15th with a career-best 224 (73-73-78).

Her effort included a pair of career-best rounds of 73 on Sept. 14. The 224 was 15 strokes better than her previous collegiate best of 239. She added a 237 at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate and has lowered her career stroke average to 81.58. She owns a 76.83 stroke average on the young season.

Sheils entered the 2009-10 season with Big 12 Tournament experience under her belt. As a true freshman a year ago, Sheils competed in 18 rounds and was called into action at the Big 12 Championships after Mary Kate Bird suffered a wrist injury at the Lady Buckeye Invitational in NU’s regular-season finale.

Sheils gave the Huskers a lift with an opening-round 79 in Lubbock, Texas, before settling for 58th place (253) in her first Big 12 Tournament. Off the course, Sheils showed her ability by earning NGCA Scholastic All-America honors.

Erin Sharpee matched Sheils stroke for stroke at the Chip-N Club Invite, tying her for 15th place at 224. The true freshman from Green Bay, Wis., managed an 80 in her first collegiate round before posting back-to-back rounds of 72 to close the tournament. Sharpee played well again in her second tournament and her first appearance in NU’s lineup at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate, Sept. 21-23. She produced a three-round total of 236 to tie Mary Kate Bird in 34th place.

One of the top prep golfers in the state of Wisconsin over the past three seasons, Sharpee came to Nebraska after an outstanding high school and amateur career. She earned first-team All-Wisconsin honors in the fall of 2008, after taking second-team all-state accolades in both 2006 and 2007. She powered Green Bay Notre Dame to three straight Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association team titles, including a 630 for the best team score in WIAA state tournament history in 2008.

In July of 2008, Sharpee captured the Wisconsin PGA Junior Championship in the girls 13-18 division with a three-under-par 141 over 36 holes. She also competed in the championship flight of the Women’s Western National Junior Championship.

Huskers Continue to Set the Pace in the Classroom
Four Huskers captured NGCA Scholastic All-America honors in 2009, pushing Nebraska’s nation-leading total to 54 since 1989. JC Stevenson earned the third NGCA Scholastic All-America honor of her career, while Charlotte Wendner, Rachel Hanigan and Maddie Sheils all claimed the honor for the first time in their careers.

In addition to Nebraska’s NGCA Scholastic All-America success, five Huskers earned first-team academic All-Big 12 honors in 2009. Stevenson, Wendner, Hanigan, Mary Kate Bird and Megan Place all claimed spots on Big 12’s top academic team. Stevenson, Wendner and Place all earned first-team honors for the second time in their careers, while Hanigan and Bird were first-time honorees.

Nebraska’s academic success is nothing new. In 2006-07, the Husker women’s golf team produced the fifth-best team grade-point-average of any collegiate women’s golf team in the nation.