Huskers Continue Spring Campaign in NevadaHuskers Continue Spring Campaign in Nevada
Women's Golf

Huskers Continue Spring Campaign in Nevada

The Nebraska women's golf continues the early portion of its spring season by traveling to the UNLV Spring Invitational, Monday, March 8 through Wednesday, March 10.

The Huskers opened their spring schedule at the UCF Challenge last week in Sorrento, Fla.

After playing 54 holes in two days in Florida, the Huskers will play three rounds in three days in Nevada.

Nebraska opens the 18-team tournament on the 6,246-yard, par-72 layout at the Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nev., on Monday at 7:30 a.m. (central). The Huskers will play the second round at the same time on Tuesday morning, before hitting the course for the final round on Wednesday.

Sophomore Maddie Sheils will play out of the top spot in the Husker lineup for the first time in her career after leading NU at the UCF Challenge.

True freshman Erin Sharpee returns to the lineup after sitting out NU's first spring event, while junior Mary Kate Bird and seniors JC Stevenson and Charlotte Wendner round out the Husker lineup.

Live scoring for the event will be available at GolfStat.com.

2010 UNLV Spring Invitational
Host: UNLV
Location: Boulder City, Nev.
Course: Boulder Creek Golf Club
Par/Yardage - 72/6,246
Tee Times (All Times Central)
Monday, March 8 (18) - 8:30 a.m.
Tuesday, March 9 (18) - 8:30 a.m.
Wednesday, March 10 (18) - 8:30 a.m.

Nebraska Lineup

UNLV Spring Invitational (18 Teams)
Ball State, Baylor, BYU, Campbell, Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico State, Oregon State, Portland State, Texas, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulsa, UNLV, Washington State, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

Huskers Open Spring Season at UCF Challenge
Nebraska hit the course for the first time in 2010 at the UCF Challenge in Sorrento, Fla., March 1-2. NU settled for a 17th-place finish, but sophomore Maddie Sheils shined by tying for 36th in the 90-player field.

Sheils finished at 231 (81-76-74), while junior Mary Kate Bird managed a tie for 55th (80-76-82-238). Senior JC Stevenson tied for 64th (240), while sophomore Kayla Knopik contributed a tie for 67th (241). Senior Charlotte Wendner rounded out the NU contingent in a tie for 73rd (243).

Huskers Post Four Top-Six Finishes During Fall Campaign

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 strokes out of third place on the par 70, 5,938-yard layout on the North Course at Onion Creek.

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

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.

Senior Charlotte Wendner was NU's top finisher after putting together three 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.

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, Sheils competed in 18 rounds, including the Big 12 Championships after Mary Kate Bird suffered a wrist injury at the Lady Buckeye Invitational.

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 121 rounds and owns a strong 77.76 career stroke average, after posting a 75.62 average in the fall. 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 49 rounds of experience at Nebraska with a 77.80 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.

Charlotte Wendner tied for fourth 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.

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