Huskers Add Four Talented Recruits for 2011

Lincoln - Nebraska women's golf coach Robin Krapfl announced the signing of four talented high school golfers to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday.

Two-time Nebraska state champion Jackie O'Doherty from Lincoln East and four-time Class A state qualifier Morgan Smejkal from Columbus form the foundation of a talented class that also features Arizona high school state champion Shelby Martinek and California standout Cassidy Stelzmiller.

While O'Doherty ruled the Class A ranks in Nebraska the past two years, Martinek has been one of the top golfers in the state of Arizona for the past four seasons. In 2008, Martinek captured the Arizona Class 5A-Division II state title and added state runner-up finishes in both 2007 and 2009. The most experienced golfer in this year's class of Husker recruits, Martinek has competed at the national and international level since she was nine. Her sister was also a collegiate golfer at Boston College. Martinek is currently ranked among the top 75 players in the 2011 class by GolfWeek ratings.

Stelzmiller also brings a wealth of junior experience while competing against some of the best young golfers in the nation in California. One of the top players in the Sacramento area, Stelzmiller is ranked among the top 400 girls nationally in the GolfWeek/Sagarin ratings.

Both Martinek and Stelzmiller advanced deep into the Women's Western Golf Association Junior National Championships over the past two years. Like Martinek, Stelzmiller also brings a rich family heritage in collegiate golf, as Cassidy's sister Chelsea is a senior on the women's golf team at UC Davis.

"We are really excited about the talent in this year's class," Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. "We feel that Jackie O'Doherty and Morgan Smejkal are the two best golfers in the state of Nebraska this year. Shelby Martinek is one of the best players in the state of Arizona, and Cassidy Stelzmiller is one of the top golfers in Northern California. I am really excited about the talent, academic ability and the great character that each of these golfers possess. When you pair this year's class with our current freshman class, I think you have the foundation for a bright future of Nebraska women's golf."

Jackie O'Doherty
Lincoln, Neb. (East)
Two-time Nebraska Class A state champion Jackie O'Doherty will bring her talent and competitive drive to the Nebraska women's golf program next season.

As a senior at Lincoln East High School, O'Doherty cruised to a nine-stroke win at the 2010 Class A state tournament at the Norfolk Country Club, despite being sidelined for a month during the season with a torn rib muscle. Her two-day total of 151 came despite winds gusting to 35 mph in the final round, when she managed a 76. As a junior in 2009, she helped Lincoln East and Coach Brian Bullington to a third-place team finish with a winning total of 156 over two rounds in Norfolk. She won the title by eight strokes.

O'Doherty was the runner-up at the Nebraska Girls State Stroke Play tournament at the Wayne Country Club in 2010, when she registered a hole-in-one. She also won the first flight at the Nebraska Girls Match Play Championships in 2010. The 2008 and 2010 Heartland Conference champion, O'Doherty was a three-time Class A all-state pick in golf. She was also a a member of the 2010 Nebraska Junior Golf All-Star Team.

In addition to her success on the course, O'Doherty has earned three letters in swimming at Lincoln East, qualifying for the Class A state championships in the 200 freestyle in 2010. She also carries better than a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society and Honor Roll.

"Jacqueline is a perfect example of the type of athlete we love to recruit. She is a great student, hard working, and has a wonderful personality," Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. "She has the length to really become an outstanding college player. She has a very good swing and her short game is developing into a dependable part of her game. We are excited about Jacqueline's future as a Husker."

O'Doherty chose Nebraska over Kansas State.

Morgan Smejkal
Columbus, Neb. (Columbus)
A two-time Nebraska Class A All-State selection at Columbus High School, Morgan Smejkal (pronounced SMAY-kal) will join the Huskers after a decorated prep career. Smejkal qualified for four Nebraska High School state championships and produced a pair of top-five individual finishes, while leading the Discoverers to three state tournament appearances. In 2010, Smejkal captured medalist honors at seven of her 11 tournaments before finishing fourth as an individual at the Class A state tournament in Norfolk.

During her career at Columbus, she produced the No. 2 and No. 5 season scoring averages in school history, while also setting the school record for best round with a 72. As a junior in 2009, she tied for fifth individually at the Class A state tournament.

In addition to her success in high school golf for Coach Anne Robertson, Smejkal was also a member of the Nebraska Junior Golf All-Star Team in 2009 and 2010, and she was a member of the Nebraska Four State Team in 2010.

Along with earning four letters in golf, Smejkal is a standout for the Columbus High School girls basketball team. As a junior in 2009-10, Smejkal earned all-state and All-Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference honors. She also holds the Discoverers record for most three-pointers made in a season. Smejkal is also a first degree black belt in Taekwondo.

"Morgan is a great athlete who has the potential to become a great golfer," Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. "We feel once she gets in our program where she can focus on one sport and learn from the coaches and players around her, that she is going to become a very good player. She has very good fundamentals and a strong work ethic."

A member of the National Honor Society, Smejkal is also an honor roll student and a two-time academic all-conference pick in golf. She also earned academic all-conference accolades in basketball a year ago.

Smejkal chose Nebraska over Wichita State, South Dakota State, Creighton, Miami and South Dakota.

Shelby Martinek
Tempe, Ariz. (Marcos de Niza)
One of the top high school golfers in the state of Arizona over the past four years and an experienced junior golfer at the national level, Shelby Martinek brings a decorated resume to Nebraska.

As a sophomore in 2008, Martinek captured an individual state title with a four-over-par 148 while leading Marcos de Niza High School to the Arizona Class 5A-II state team championship. She added runner-up honors as an individual in both 2007 and 2009, while helping the Padres to a team runner-up finish as a freshman in 2007. She was forced to withdraw from the 2010 state tournament because of a back injury.  

One of the top 175 players in the GolfWeek/Sagarin girls rankings, Martinek advanced to the First Flight semifinals of the 2010 Women's Western Golf Association Junior National Match Play Championships in Grainger, Ind. Competing on GolfWeek's Junior Golf Tour, the left-handed Martinek won three tournaments (The Open at Arrowhead, the Showdown at Painted Dunes, and the Ocotillo Open) from February to May of 2010. She fired back-to-back rounds of 74 at the Ocotillo Open to finish with a winning 36-hole score of 148. In 2007, Martinek was also named an All-American on the Future Collegians World Tour.

"A lot of schools were recruiting Shelby, and we feel great about her choice to become a Husker," Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. "She has an outstanding short game, works hard and has really developed into a player who can manage her game and shoot low numbers."

Martinek competed as a 9-10 year-old at the Calloway Junior World Championships in 2002 and 2003. Her older sister, Meghan, competed collegiately at Boston College.

Martinek chose Nebraska over Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico State, Colorado State and Tulsa.

Cassidy Stelzmiller
Placerville, Calif. (Union Mine)
One of the top young golfers in the Sacramento area in California, Cassidy Stelzmiller will join the Huskers with loads of potential.

At the junior level, Stelzmiller advanced to the First Flight consolation final at the Women's Western Golf Association Junior National Match Play Championship in Durham, N.C., July 13-17, 2009. She is ranked as one of the top 400 players in the GolfWeek/Sagarin girls ratings. She competed at the California Junior Girls Stroke Play Championship and at the 80th Women's Trans Match Play Championship in the summer of 2010. She also competed at the Women's Trans in 2009.

As a senior at Union Mine High School, Stelzmiller led the Diamondbacks to their first Sac-Joaquin Section divisional championship with a tournament-best round of 79. She won individual medalist honors by 12 strokes. Union Mine advanced to the California Interscholastic Federation Section Masters Golf Tournament, where it finished second as a team, to qualify for CIF/NCGA Northern California Championship at Stockton Country Club for the first time in school history. Stelzmiller led the Diamondbacks with a 78. Union Mine closed the season in ninth at the NorCal championship on Nov. 9.

The 2009 Sierra Valley Conference MVP, Stelzmiller led the conference with a 38 stroke average per nine holes. She also helped lead Union Mine to a 32-match winning streak in Sierra Valley action.

"Cassidy not only has above-average length, she also possesses great feel for the greens - a combination that is hard to find," Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. "She is young for her class, so her potential to continue to develop and grow is outstanding. We fell she has the potential to become an All-America-type player.

Cassidy's sister, Chelsea, is a senior on the UC Davis golf team this season. Cassidy chose Nebraska over UC Davis.