Huskers End Regular Season at Gator InviteHuskers End Regular Season at Gator Invite
Women's Golf

Huskers End Regular Season at Gator Invite

The Nebraska women's golf team closes its 2009-10 regular season by traveling to Florida for the SunTrust Gator Invitational over the weekend.

The Huskers will travel to Gainesville on Thursday and take part in Friday's practice round, before competing in 36 holes beginning at 7 a.m. (CT) on Saturday. The three-round tournament will conclude Sunday with 18 holes on the par-72, 6,002-yard layout at the Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida.

Junior Mary Kate Bird and senior JC Stevenson will lead Nebraska's five-player lineup against a 15-team field at Florida. The Sunshine State will offer a rich Florida flavor with in-state teams from Florida, Florida State, Central Florida, South Florida, Florida International and Florida Atlantic.

Sophomores Kayla Knopik and Maddie Sheils and senior Charlotte Wendner will complete NU's lineup in Florida.

Live scoring for the SunTrust Gator Invitational will be available from GolfStat.com. 

SunTrust Gator Invitational
Host: Florida
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Course: Mark Bostick Golf Course
Par/Yardage - 70/6,002
Tee Times (Central)
Saturday, April 10 (36) - 7 a.m.
Sunday, April 11 (18) - 7 a.m.

Nebraska Lineup

SunTrust Gator Invitational Field (15 Teams)
Central Florida, Chattanooga, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Florida State, Furman, Georgetown, Georgia State, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, South Florida, Texas A&M, UNC-Greensboro

Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

Huskers Finish Third at BYU at Entrada Classic
Mary Kate Bird fired a final-round 73 to finish in a tie for ninth while leading Nebraska to a third-place finish at the 13-team BYU at Entrada Classic.

Bird closed with a three-round total of 224 to lead the Huskers, who produced a 54-hole total of 921 after a final-round 309.

Sophomore Kayla Knopik also capped the best tournament of her Husker career with a 78 to finish with a three-round total of 230 in a tie for 14th on the par-72, 6,001-yard layout of the Entrada at Snow Canyon course. Knopik matched senior JC Stevenson in a tie for 14th at 230, after Stevenson closed with a final-round 79.

Freshman Erin Sharpee tied for 39th with a 241, while sophomore Maddie Sheils climbed into a tie for 43rd after a final-round 79 to finish at 244.

Senior Charlotte Wendner put together her second straight round of 76 to climb into a tie for 25th at 234, while playing as an individual. Sophomore Carolyn Schorgl added a 76 of her own to close at 243 in a tie for 41st.

San Diego State ran away with the team title with a 54-hole total of 890, 15 strokes ahead of runner-up Louisville (905). BYU's Maggie Yuan captured the individual title with a 214, just one stroke ahead of Louisville's Daphne Parker (215). 

Huskers Own Six Top-Six Finishes in 2009-10
Nebraska has produced a pair of runner-up finishes and six top-six team showings heading into its final regular-season tournament of 2009-10.

The Huskers head to Florida after back-to-back top-five finishes in Utah and Airzona to close a busy March. The Huskers played 54-hole events in four consecutive weeks of March to open the spring, before getting two weeks off between the BYU at Entrada Classic and the SunTrust Gator Invitational.

Before a third-place finish at BYU, the Huskers notched a solid fifth-place showing in a 19-team field at the Northern Migration in Florence, Ariz., March 15-17. The Huskers had finished eighth at the UNLV Invite the previous weekend, after opening the spring schedule at the UCF Challenge in Sorrento, Fla., on March 1.

Mary Kate Bird has been a leader for the Huskers this spring, producing three straight top-25 finishes, including a season-best tie for ninth in Utah. The junior from Kansas City, Mo., ranks second on the team with a 76.52 stroke average on the season.

JC Stevenson is also coming on strong late in the year, with a pair of top-20 finishes in her last three events. The senior from Grand Island, Neb., owns 20 career top-20 showings, including five this season. She also leads NU with a 76.36 stroke average on the year.

Sophomores Maddie Sheils and Kayla Knopik have also emerged for the Huskers this spring, while freshman Erin Sharpee had an excellent fall but has struggled at times during the spring. Senior Charlotte Wendner has produced four top-25 showings this season and owns a pair of top-20 finishes at the Big 12 Championships in her career. 

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 has again been a leader for the Huskers during the spring of 2010, notching three straight top-25 showings heading to the SunTrust Gator Invitational. Her 76.52 stroke average ranks second on the team, and in four spring events, she owns a team-best 76.08 average.

Bird owns 10 career top-25 finishes, including five top-10 showings. 

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 130 rounds and owns a team-best 76.36 stroke average this season. The veteran of NU's lineup, Stevenson owns 20 career top-20 finishes, including six career top-10 showings. She posted her best effort at the 2007 Edwin Watts/Palmetto Invitational, winning 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).

This spring, Stevenson tied for 14th at the BYU at Entrada Classic (230), and produced a tie for 20th (223) at the UNLV Spring Invitational. In 12 spring rounds, she carries a 77.17 stroke average. She is the only Husker this season to play all 25 competitive rounds in NU's five-player lineup.

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 11 top-25 finishes, including four top-10 efforts.

Wendner has produced a 77.27 stroke average this season, and has registered four top-25 finishes on the season. 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. 

Sheils Produced 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 then-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 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 has continued to play solid golf for the Huskers during the spring, including a tie for seventh at the Northern Migration in Florence, Ariz. Sheils' finish is the highest placing by a Husker so far this spring in any tournament, and her 223 at the Northern Migration marked a career-best tournament score. It included a career-best 70 in the final round. In 12 spring rounds, Sheils owns a 77.08 stroke average, while her overall 76.64 stroke average ranks third among the Huskers this season.

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 ranked 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.

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.