Huskers Produce Solid Fall Campaign

The Nebraska women’s golf team produced a pair of runner-up finishes and four top-six team showings in its five fall tournaments in 2009.

The Huskers closed the first half of their 2009-10 season with an 11th-place finish in a talent-laden 21-team field at The Challenge at Onion Creek in Austin, Texas, Nov. 2-3. Although the Huskers finished outside the top 10 for the first time this season, NU was just eight stroke out of third place on the par 70, 5,938-yard layout on the North Course at Onion Creek.

Natalie Gleadall continued to lead the Huskers by posting her fifth straight top-25 finish of the fall. The sophomore from Stratford, Ontario, Canada fired a career-best 215 with rounds of 74-71-70 to finish in a tie for 18th.

Fellow sophomore Maddie Sheils continued her breakout season by tying for 32nd with a career-best 218, including a career-best final round 71. Sheils, a native of Boise, Idaho, posted NU’s No. 5 stroke average of the fall (76.23), which marked nearly a seven-stroke improvement from her freshman campaign when she played 18 rounds, including an appearance at the Big 12 Championships.

Freshman Erin Sharpee also continued her impressive debut. The native of Green Bay, Wis., tied for 42nd with a career-best 219 (72-73-74) to close the fall with Nebraska’s No. 3 stroke average (75.46). She finished in the top 50 at all five fall tournaments, including a pair of top-15 finishes.

Seniors Charlotte Wendner and JC Stevenson also produced solid falls for the Huskers. Wendner, who has finished in the top 20 at the last two Big 12 Championships, produced NU’s second-best stroke average (75.20) and a pair of top-25 finishes. Her best effort came with a tie for fourth (221) at the Heather Farr Memorial.

Stevenson added a 75.62 stroke average, which represented better than a one stroke improvement over any of her previous seasons at Nebraska. She finished in the top 20 at each of NU’s first three fall tournaments and posted four top-30 showings overall.

Huskers Produced Pair of No. 2 Fall Showings
Charlotte Wendner tied for fourth, Natalie Gleadall added her third straight top 10 finish and true freshman Erin Sharpee just missed a school record with a final-round 68 to lead Nebraska to second place at the Heather Farr Memorial, Oct. 5-6.

The Huskers, who entered the final day in third place, climbed one spot in the team standings with an impressive final round. NU finished with a three-round total of 894, 12 strokes behind Texas Tech, which won the 20-team tournament with an 882. San Diego State finished third, seven strokes behind the Huskers at 901.

Nebraska’s final-round 288 was the best team score in the final round, and allowed the Huskers to rebound from a second-round 311, after opening the tournament with a solid 295 in the first round.

Sharpee, a true freshman from Green Bay, Wis., led Nebraska’s final-round charge with a four-under-par 68 over the final 18 holes on the 6,350-yard, par-72 layout at Colorado National. Sharpee’s round allowed her to storm up the leaderboard to finish in a career-best tie for 11th with a 54-hole total of 225. Sharpee finished one stroke back of Gleadall, who notched her third straight top-10 finish to open the fall. The sophomore posted a final-round 74 to finish at 224.

While Nebraska’s two youngsters produced impressive tournament finishes, it was senior Charlotte Wendner who finished the highest on the tournament leaderboard. The native of Bjarred, Sweden put together three consecutive strong rounds to finish in a tie for fourth at 221 (73-72-76). Fellow senior JC Stevenson from Grand Island, Neb., also produced a solid tournament, finishing in a tie for 18th at 227 (74-80-73) for her third consecutive top-20 showing.

Mary Kate Bird rounded out the Husker lineup in a tie for 43rd at 235, which included a final-round 73, matching Stevenson for Nebraska’s second-best score of the final round behind Sharpee’s 68. Husker individual Maddie Sheils also played a strong final round with a 76, finishing the two-day event in a tie for 64th (239) in a 104-player field.

Sophomore Gleadall Enjoying 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.

Gleadall closed her second fall in Lincoln with a team-best 74.00 stroke average and posted five straight top-25 showings, including a trio of top-10 finishes.

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. She continued her stellar play by finishing 10th (224) at the Heather Farr Memorial, including an opening-round 71. It was her fifth career top 10 finish.

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 .

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.

Sheils Produces Breakout Fall Season for Huskers
Maddie Sheils produced a breakout performance in the season-opening Chip-N Club Invitational and continued to improve throughout the fall for the Huskers.

The sophomore from Boise, Idaho, posted her first career top-25 finish, tying for 15th with a 224 (73-73-78). Her effort included a pair of rounds of 73 on Sept. 14. The 224 was 15 strokes better than her previous collegiate best of 239.

Sheils earned a spot in the NU lineup at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate and managed a 237. She tied for 64th with a 239 at the Heather Farr Memorial, Oct. 5-6, and earned a lineup spot for the Alamo Invitational. She posted her first career top-10 finish in San Antonio, tying her career best with a 73 in the tournament’s lone round to tie for 10th.

She closed the fall with a career-best 218 that included a career-best final-round 71 on a par 70 layout at The Challenge at Onion Creek, Nov. 2-3. She finished in a tie for 32nd in Texas and improved her fall stroke average to 76.23, which was nearly seven shots better than her freshman season average (83.17).

Sheils entered 2009-10 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.

Freshman Sharpee Makes Instant Impact
Erin Sharpee made an impressive debut for the Huskers in the fall. The true freshman from Green Bay, Wis., posted a pair of top-15 finishes, and threatened the school record for best round in just her second appearance in the NU lineup at the Heather Farr Memorial on Oct. 6.

Sharpee tied for 11th (225) in the 104-player field at the Heather Farr Memorial, including a final-round 68, which was just one stroke off the school record of 67.

She opened her collegiate career by tying for 15th (224) while playing as an individual at Nebraska’s Chip-N Club Invite. After opening with an 80, Sharpee fired back-to-back rounds of 72. Her effort at Wilderness Ridge earned her a spot in NU’s lineup at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate, Sept. 21-23. She produced a three-round total of 236 to tie teammate Mary Kate Bird in 34th place.

Sharpee closed the fall with a career-best 219 (72-73-74) on a par 70 layout at The Challenge at Onion Creek, Nov. 2-3, to tie for 42nd in a 21-team field. She improved her stroke average to 75.46, which ranks third among the Huskers.

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.

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.

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 118 rounds for the Huskers and owns a strong 77.70 career stroke average, after posting a 75.62 average during the 2009 fall season.

The veteran of NU’s lineup, Stevenson owns 18 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 (231) at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate, before adding another tie for 18th (227) at the Heather Farr Memorial. She settled for a tie for 28th in a single round at the Alamo Invitational (77).

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.

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. She 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 nine top-25 finishes, including four top-10 efforts.

Wendner produced NU’s second-best stroke average of the fall (75.20) to lower her career scoring average to 78.49 over 74 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.

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, 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.

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.